Kessler syndrome
Síndrome de Kessler
- Date
- 1978 · confidence high
- Place
- Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, United States
- Credited to
- Donald J. Kessler and Burton Cour-Palais
- Field
- Movement
What was discovered
NASA scientist Kessler proposed that the density of objects in low Earth orbit could reach a point where collisions between them would cascade, generating ever more space debris and eventually rendering some orbits unusable.
The term "Kessler syndrome" was coined by NORAD's John Gabbard shortly after the original 1978 paper was published.
What it led to
- International space debris mitigation guidelines
- Tracking and cataloguing of orbital debris
- Growing concern over satellite megaconstellations