Space dust kills satellites like tiny atom bombs
Electromagnetism, not force of impact, does the damage
HOW is a speck of dust like an atom bomb? It sounds like a child’s riddle. But the answer may explain the fate of many satellites that have failed prematurely in orbit over the years. For the riddle to work, the speck must be travelling at 70km a second, or thereabouts. If it is, the riddle’s solution is that both can generate an electromagnetic pulse capable of knocking out unprotected electronic equipment.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Dusty death”
From the August 19th 2017 edition
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