Post #4295490
2026-07-31 20:34 UTC
@dar@mastoart.social @sundogplanets@mastodon.social
Concern is not completely invalid, but to put it in perspective, the Earth is estimated to be hit within 15,000 to 40,000 pounds of meteors every year, and presumably it's been that much (or often much more) every year since the planet existed. Speed of entry is higher as well, which might result in greater vaporization. You've always been breathing meteorite metal and dust.
Replies (1)
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@sundogplanets@mastodon.social 2026-07-31 20:41
@JSteven@wandering.shop @dar@mastoart.social Yeah, but meteorites are mostly rocks, not aluminum and computer parts and plastic. Satellites have a very different composition than meteoroids. SpaceX has been exceeding the natural infall rate of aluminum for a couple of years now, and that is changing atmospheric chemistry and could potentially cause ozone depletion, especially as they burn up ever more satellites in the atmosphere. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2313374120 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/satellite-mega-constellations-could-jeopardize-ozone-hole-recovery/