Hello dear readers,
I hope all has been well for you guys in my absence from my blogging. For those of you curious about my week, you might be surprised to learn that I almost lost my life. I know what you’re thinking, usually I have little to report back about my own well-being. Afterall, there’s not much to do in a small cabin thousands of miles from earth. Yet last Wednesday proved to be a change of pace from my typical routine.
Now as you –my faithful readers– all know, I spend most of my time taking pictures out of my cabin window. I was doing just this that Wednesday. I was orbiting over the United States, it looked like the sun was setting over the Eastern side of the country. I was getting quite excited to see the sun disappear and the lights of all the cities glimmer across earth’s terrain. However, this enthusiasm was fleeting. Just as I started to adjust the lenses to prepare for the night time spectacle the whole cabin shook. I got knocked back onto my feet, almost breaking my beloved camera. This sensation brought me back to my days in California, as I remembered the feeling of earthquakes. As I got back upright and steadied myself, I saw a massive metal object hurling right by my cabin window. It clouded my entire window, taking away any light and replacing it with darkness. And the sound, my dear readers! Like nails against a chalkboard, except thousands of times louder! I thought this moment would be one of my last. However, just as quickly as this all happened, it was over. No damages to the exterior of my cabin, thankfully.
It took me a little time to get comfortable again in my cabin, as this experience reminded me of my vulnerability out here in orbit. This evening I went onto my technological device to look at the current events on earth, hoping it would calm me. Boy was I wrong! I found this article pertaining to my near collision, however instead of my space cabin being mentioned, they called it a “experimental US craft.” Can you believe that?! I’ll spare you the details, but essentially, the massive object that slung right by me was a satellite only 40 feet away! Further the article expanded on the increasing amount of space debris in orbit around earth. I was shocked. Not only was my presence ignored by the media, but I was also placed into the same category as space clutter.
However –even if this is what the media and Government wants to label me as– this space debris seems like an increasing problem. When I was working at NASA, there were only a few hundred satellites surrounding earth. Now, it appears as if there’s a few thousand. This is obviously concerning for me being in space, because if one tiny object hits me I might as well be wiped away from the solar system. However, this should also bring concern to you, dear readers, if you perside on earth. From what I’ve gathered, it seems like our planet is suffering from the effects of pollution. Do we really need to pollute our galaxy too? According to a video in the article, a company is already making moves to avoid any future consequences from orbiting pollution. Apparently, this year they are launching a satellite that will remove debris by lodging a docking device onto it. This will bring down the debris into the atmosphere, in which it will promptly burn. All I hope is that this satellite won’t consider me and my cabin the clutter surrounding earth.
Above I’ve attached some pictures illustrating the ever-growing space debris, from the year I left earth to the near present. I hope you find it insightful.
Over and out,
B. Swain
Betty Swain's Life up Above 