Nebula Public Library

Thousands of man-made objects are currently in orbit around the Earth. These range from active satellites to flecks of paint, via spent rocket stages and fragments of satellite debris. Due to the drag of the very thin high altitude atmosphere, these objects have slowly decaying orbits, and will eventually re-enter the Earth's thicker, lower atmosphere. Most will be destroyed on entry due to the aerothermal heating experienced at hypersonic velocities at altitudes between 40 and 80km. However, some objects reach the ground.