Into the Space Debris Swamp
4/30/202649 min
Izzie & Dr Becky think that space needs a spring clean, so this episode is all about space debris. What is it? How big of a problem is it? And what is being done to remove it?
With thanks to PhD student Megan Perks from the University of Southampton, who studies how safe all these new satellite constellations are, and photographer Max Alexander, who has created an exhibition all about space debris. It’s called Our Fragile Space and it’s on for free outside of the Royal Astronomical Society until 10th May 2026.
Join The Supermassive Club for ad-free listening, forum access, and extra content from the team. And email your questions to podcast@ras.ac.uk or follow us on Instagram, @SupermassivePod.
The Supermassive Podcast is a Boffin Media production. The producers are Izzie Clarke and Richard Hollingham.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
[gentle music] Acast powers the world's best podcasts. Here's a show that we recommend.
Megan Perks· Guest0:07
Buckle up. Season two of Albertans in Space is ready for launch. This season, we sit down with astronaut Robert Thirsk, explore the cosmos at Rothney Observatory, and chase meteorites with a real-life space geologist. From a rocket launch in Lethbridge to building CubeSats, we're diving deep into the future of Canadian space innovation. We'll explore 3D printing on the Moon, rethink space travel through a humanist lens, and meet the people pushing the boundaries of what's possible right here in Alberta.
Speaker 00:36
[upbeat music] Acast helps creators launch, grow, and monetize their podcasts everywhere. acast.com.
Izzy Clarke· Host0:48
But it is the smaller pieces that we tend to worry about when it comes to space junk.
Max Alexander· Guest0:58
While we've been talking here, there's been several collision avoidance maneuvers. So there's one every two minutes currently.
Becky Smethurst· Host1:03
All of this shows, though, is that it's not coming down, it's going up and it's staying up.
Izzy Clarke· Host1:08
Hello. Welcome to the Supermassive podcast from the Royal Astronomical Society with me, science journalist Izzy Clark, and astrophysicist Dr Becky Smethurst. We think space needs a little bit of a spring clean, so this episode we'll be chatting about space debris. What is it? How big of a problem