Holzinger interviewed by PBS News Hour on space junk
Marcus Holzinger spoke to PBS News Hour about the growing problem of derelict satellites and other debris orbiting our planet: space junk.
"So these are defunct satellites, rocket bodies that have been expended and left up in orbit, as well as parts of spacecraft or parts of rocket bodies that have been up there now for an excess of 50 years, and even all the way up to the current time. There are about 40,000 objects that we're tracking right now on orbit," Holzinger said.
Holzinger, an associate professor in the Ann and H.J. Smead Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, is an expert on space domain awareness -- the study and monitoring of satellites orbiting the Earth.
During the interview, he discussed the importance of systems to track orbital material and policy solutions to ensure old satellites are de-orbited or moved to graveyard orbits to ensure they do not cause problems in the future.
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