Abstract
One might logically ask this question. If we typically have less than a hundred launches into space each year—after discounting suborbital flights and sounding rockets—why can’t we quickly bring the problem of space debris under rather quick control now that we have international guidelines in place? This is not really a mysterious problem, but it is certainly a complex one. The simple answer is, debris begets debris.
The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious.
It is the source of all true art and science.
–Albert Einstein
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© 2013 Joseph N. Pelton
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Pelton, J.N. (2013). The Space Debris Threat and the Kessler Syndrome. In: Space Debris and Other Threats from Outer Space. SpringerBriefs in Space Development. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6714-4_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6714-4_2
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Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
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Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6714-4
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