From ESA’s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, spacecraft are flown in Earth orbit; taking the pulse of our unique planet, and across the Solar System; exploring our local environment and looking out to the universe beyond.
It is from here, too, that we keep watch over hazards in space – from solar flares to asteroids to space debris – working to mitigate these risks, keeping us, and the infrastructure we’ve come to rely on, safe.
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From ESA’s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, spacecraft are flown in Earth orbit; taking the pulse of our unique planet, and across the Solar System; exploring our local environment and looking out to the universe beyond.
It is from here, too, that we keep watch over hazards in space – from solar flares to asteroids to space debris – working to mitigate these risks, keeping us, and the infrastructure we’ve come to rely on, safe.
André Kuipers on sheltering from oncoming space debris
ESA Explores Space Operations
18 minutes 54 seconds
4 years ago
André Kuipers on sheltering from oncoming space debris
André Kuipers is one of a handful of astronauts who has had to 'shelter-in-place' from a piece of marauding space debris.
In 2012, a debris fragment was spotted heading towards the International Space Station. Its orbit was hard to predict but it looked like it could pass at a distance of approximately 10 kilometres: that meant code red.
ESA astronaut André, along with his fellow passengers, had to seek shelter in the two Soyuz spaceships which function as safe houses and as lifeboats. Fortunately, the debris passed safely by. We spoke to André about what this experience was like, and also to his wife Helen who recounts the exact moment she found out.
ESA Explores Space Operations
From ESA’s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, spacecraft are flown in Earth orbit; taking the pulse of our unique planet, and across the Solar System; exploring our local environment and looking out to the universe beyond.
It is from here, too, that we keep watch over hazards in space – from solar flares to asteroids to space debris – working to mitigate these risks, keeping us, and the infrastructure we’ve come to rely on, safe.
