Meet Amber Yang. She's trying to prevent a space debris catastrophe

By Thomas Page, CNN

Updated 6:56 AM ET, Fri January 26, 2018

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College first-year Amber Yang has won a number of prizes for her method of predicting the path of orbital debris. Scroll through to find out why these often tiny piece of matter in Earth's orbit pose such a problem for space missions.
Photos: Space debris: Small objects, big problem
College first-year Amber Yang has won a number of prizes for her method of predicting the path of orbital debris. Scroll through to find out why these often tiny piece of matter in Earth's orbit pose such a problem for space missions.
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Space debris is an issue NASA has been aware of since our first excursions beyond Earth. One recent report stated that debris as small as 0.12 inches across "<a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/sensor_to_monitor_orbital_debris_outside_ISS" target="_blank">could pose danger to human spaceflight</a>." This photo, taken in August 1960, shows a 0.8 inch piece of polyethylene hitting an aluminum target at 19,500 feet per second, as part of an impact test conducted by NASA's Ames Research Center.
Photos: Space debris: Small objects, big problem
Space debris is an issue NASA has been aware of since our first excursions beyond Earth. One recent report stated that debris as small as 0.12 inches across "could pose danger to human spaceflight." This photo, taken in August 1960, shows a 0.8 inch piece of polyethylene hitting an aluminum target at 19,500 feet per second, as part of an impact test conducted by NASA's Ames Research Center.
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Hyper-velocity testing is a key part of engineering spacecraft fit for orbit. This 2009 image from the European Space Agency shows the effect of a 0.47 inch, 0.06 ounce aluminum ball hitting a 7-inch thick aluminum block at 4.2 miles per second. The agency says the pressure and temperature of such an impact "exceeds those found at the center of the Earth."
Photos: Space debris: Small objects, big problem
Hyper-velocity testing is a key part of engineering spacecraft fit for orbit. This 2009 image from the European Space Agency shows the effect of a 0.47 inch, 0.06 ounce aluminum ball hitting a 7-inch thick aluminum block at 4.2 miles per second. The agency says the pressure and temperature of such an impact "exceeds those found at the center of the Earth."
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This 2004 image shows an "eyebolt," a two-inch component which had detached from a solar array. Along with spent rockets and dead satellites, other objects -- including a <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/s/411233/astronauts-lose-100000-tool-kit/" target="_blank">$100,000 tool kit </a>and the creator of "Star Trek's" ashes -- have ended up in orbit. Some will quickly slip out of orbit and burn up on reentry, while others will circle the planet for years. Intersecting orbits can cause a huge hazard for satellites and space stations.
Photos: Space debris: Small objects, big problem
This 2004 image shows an "eyebolt," a two-inch component which had detached from a solar array. Along with spent rockets and dead satellites, other objects -- including a $100,000 tool kit and the creator of "Star Trek's" ashes -- have ended up in orbit. Some will quickly slip out of orbit and burn up on reentry, while others will circle the planet for years. Intersecting orbits can cause a huge hazard for satellites and space stations.
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A close-up photograph showing the damage sustained by the Solar MAX experiment from a tiny piece of space debris. Today the International Space Station has a number of debris protocols, from maneuvering out of a collision path to sheltering in a Soyuz capsule when the probability of a significant collision is high.
Photos: Space debris: Small objects, big problem
A close-up photograph showing the damage sustained by the Solar MAX experiment from a tiny piece of space debris. Today the International Space Station has a number of debris protocols, from maneuvering out of a collision path to sheltering in a Soyuz capsule when the probability of a significant collision is high.
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A number of magnified images showing "pitting" in space shuttle windows. The glass used was extremely strong, but could be damaged by debris as small as a fleck of paint. Today the International Space Station's cupola observation windows are quadruple glazed, but are still susceptible to miniscule pieces of debris.
Photos: Space debris: Small objects, big problem
A number of magnified images showing "pitting" in space shuttle windows. The glass used was extremely strong, but could be damaged by debris as small as a fleck of paint. Today the International Space Station's cupola observation windows are quadruple glazed, but are still susceptible to miniscule pieces of debris.
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The Long Duration Exposure Facility (picture top) seen before deployment by Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. Containing a number of experiments, it was left in low Earth orbit until 1990. Upon retrieval analysts counted over 20,000 impacts on the satellite according to NASA's Orbital Debris Program.
Photos: Space debris: Small objects, big problem
The Long Duration Exposure Facility (picture top) seen before deployment by Space Shuttle Challenger in 1984. Containing a number of experiments, it was left in low Earth orbit until 1990. Upon retrieval analysts counted over 20,000 impacts on the satellite according to NASA's Orbital Debris Program.
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A picture from NASA's Orbital Debris Program mapping the many impact points on panels from the Hubble Space Telescope. The US Department of Defense tracks thousands of objects in orbit, and can forewarn satellite owners when significant debris is on its way. But the US Space Surveillance Network only tracks objects four inches and larger, meaning pieces fractions of an inch wide slip through and can cause damage.
Photos: Space debris: Small objects, big problem
A picture from NASA's Orbital Debris Program mapping the many impact points on panels from the Hubble Space Telescope. The US Department of Defense tracks thousands of objects in orbit, and can forewarn satellite owners when significant debris is on its way. But the US Space Surveillance Network only tracks objects four inches and larger, meaning pieces fractions of an inch wide slip through and can cause damage.
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In December 2017, NASA released details of its <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/sensor_to_monitor_orbital_debris_outside_ISS" target="_blank">Space Debris Sensor</a>, a new addition to the International Space Station. It will record instances of debris between 0.002-0.02 inches wide for two to three years, using an acoustic system to measure size, speed, direction and density.
Photos: Space debris: Small objects, big problem
In December 2017, NASA released details of its Space Debris Sensor, a new addition to the International Space Station. It will record instances of debris between 0.002-0.02 inches wide for two to three years, using an acoustic system to measure size, speed, direction and density.
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As we fill low Earth orbit with more debris, the likelihood of a significant collision increases. Yang's software, now used by her company Seer Tracking, has won a number of awards for its use of an artificial neural network to predict the future path of debris. She says she has received attention from a number of private companies looking to launch satellites into space.