TABLE OF CONTENTS Space debris in orbit around the Earth is now recognized as a problem for current and future users of the space environment, but relatively little consideration has been given to the volume of space beyond Earth orbit.
We have spent some 50 years exploring the solar system, beginning with near-Earth space and the Moon, and then extending our reach to the rest of the planets. Although much has been achieved by remote sensing, using the Hubble Space Telescope and other orbiting observatories, by far the most detailed information has been gained by sending spacecraft to the planetary bodies in question and using what, in medical terminology, would be described as invasive techniques.
In the early years of the Space Age, the exploration of the solar system was considered a triumph of mankind over nature described in terms of "the conquest of space." However, it also resulted in a considerable amount of spacecraft debris and a number of spent rocket stages being crashed onto the surface of the Moon or abandoned in lunar orbit.1 To a large extent, it remains "the forgotten space debris."
This chapter looks at the detrimental effects of space exploration on the planetary bodies and considers the consequences of future development.
