Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Remember when Elon Musk launched a car into space? It’s not just peacefully drifting through a vacuum–it’s hurtling around the sun at 63,592 mph, being bombarded by solar radiation. It might be in pieces.
But, not the same pieces it would be in if it was down here on Earth. The environment of space breaks it down differently. And the space debris a little closer to us, all the stuff that we humans have sent into space and just left there to orbit us? The unusual environment of space means it too breaks down and degrades differently than it would down here on earth. But… how long does it take to break down? Does it all break down? And how is that car looking right about now…
You might also like:
We Are Made of "Star Stuff"
youtu.be/2bm479V8qPs
Challenger: The Real Story of an Avoidable Disaster
youtu.be/uI174WMnWl4
What Do Astronauts Do With Pee in Space?
youtu.be/w6x54zYuqXk
What Does the Moon Smell Like?
youtu.be/iQod_oYnFTc
What Could An Explosion On the Sun Do Here On Earth?
youtu.be/i7mZBaleCFE
Credits:
Executive Producers:
Matthew Radcliff
Producers:
Elaine Seward
Andrew Sobey
Darren Weaver
Writer/Host:
Alex Dainis, PhD
Scientific Consultants:
Michelle Boucher, PhD
John Crassidis, PhD;
Jer Chyi (J.-C.) Liou, PhD;
Brianne Raccor, PhD
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Reactions is a production of the American Chemical Society.
© 2022 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.
Sources:
whereisroadster.com
education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/meteoroid
nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1755-6724.2004.tb00765.x
dewesoft.com/daq/every-satellite-orbiting-earth-and-who-owns-them
earth.org/space-junk-what-is-it-what-can-we-do-about-it/#:~:text=But%20how%20does%20space%20junk,detrimental%20effects%20on%20Earth's%20environment
https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_Debris/Space_debris_by_the_numbers
nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1755-6724.2004.tb00765.x
ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20160012733
scientificamerican.com/article/webb-telescopes-giant-mirror-struck-by-micrometeoroid
spacelegalissues.com/space-law-the-kessler-syndrome
nasa.gov/news/debris_faq.html
sciencefocus.com/space/does-metal-corrode-or-rust-in-space
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780815515005500252
sciencing.com/write-chemical-reaction-rusting-iron-8558862.html
faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/III.4.1.2_The_Space_Environment.pdf
sciencefocus.com/space/does-metal-corrode-or-rust-in-space
http://esmat.esa.int/publications/published_papers/corrosion_in_space.pdf
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780815515005500252
web.archive.org/web/20060624082520/http://triz-journal.com/archives/1998/07/a/index.htm
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780815515005500252
annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.physchem.49.1.73
nature.com/articles/354048a0
livescience.com/61680-will-spacex-roadster-survive-in-space.html
http://esmat.esa.int/publications/published_papers/corrosion_in_space.pdf
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Telecommunications_Integrated_Applications/Sustainable_connectivity_in_space
sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211029103127.htm
elpasoheraldpost.com/amys-everyday-astronomy-cold-welding-what-is-it-and-can-it-be-done-on-earth/#:~:text=Don't%20worry%2C%20though%2C,%2Dwelding%20doesn't%20occur
http://esmat.esa.int/Publications/Published_papers/STM-279.pdf
researchgate.net/publication/352145728_Cold_Welding_Based_Space_Debris_Removal_System livescience.com/61680-will-spacex-roadster-survive-in-space.html
Remember when Elon Musk launched a car into space? It’s not just peacefully drifting through a vacuum–it’s hurtling around the sun at 63,592 mph, being bombarded by solar radiation. It might be in pieces.
But, not the same pieces it would be in if it was down here on Earth. The environment of space breaks it down differently. And the space debris a little closer to us, all the stuff that we humans have sent into space and just left there to orbit us? The unusual environment of space means it too breaks down and degrades differently than it would down here on earth. But… how long does it take to break down? Does it all break down? And how is that car looking right about now…
You might also like:
We Are Made of "Star Stuff"
youtu.be/2bm479V8qPs
Challenger: The Real Story of an Avoidable Disaster
youtu.be/uI174WMnWl4
What Do Astronauts Do With Pee in Space?
youtu.be/w6x54zYuqXk
What Does the Moon Smell Like?
youtu.be/iQod_oYnFTc
What Could An Explosion On the Sun Do Here On Earth?
youtu.be/i7mZBaleCFE
Credits:
Executive Producers:
Matthew Radcliff
Producers:
Elaine Seward
Andrew Sobey
Darren Weaver
Writer/Host:
Alex Dainis, PhD
Scientific Consultants:
Michelle Boucher, PhD
John Crassidis, PhD;
Jer Chyi (J.-C.) Liou, PhD;
Brianne Raccor, PhD
Executive in Charge for PBS: Maribel Lopez
Director of Programming for PBS: Gabrielle Ewing
Reactions is a production of the American Chemical Society.
© 2022 American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.
Sources:
whereisroadster.com
education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/meteoroid
nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1755-6724.2004.tb00765.x
dewesoft.com/daq/every-satellite-orbiting-earth-and-who-owns-them
earth.org/space-junk-what-is-it-what-can-we-do-about-it/#:~:text=But%20how%20does%20space%20junk,detrimental%20effects%20on%20Earth's%20environment
https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_Debris/Space_debris_by_the_numbers
nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1755-6724.2004.tb00765.x
ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20160012733
scientificamerican.com/article/webb-telescopes-giant-mirror-struck-by-micrometeoroid
spacelegalissues.com/space-law-the-kessler-syndrome
nasa.gov/news/debris_faq.html
sciencefocus.com/space/does-metal-corrode-or-rust-in-space
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780815515005500252
sciencing.com/write-chemical-reaction-rusting-iron-8558862.html
faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/III.4.1.2_The_Space_Environment.pdf
sciencefocus.com/space/does-metal-corrode-or-rust-in-space
http://esmat.esa.int/publications/published_papers/corrosion_in_space.pdf
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780815515005500252
web.archive.org/web/20060624082520/http://triz-journal.com/archives/1998/07/a/index.htm
sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780815515005500252
annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev.physchem.49.1.73
nature.com/articles/354048a0
livescience.com/61680-will-spacex-roadster-survive-in-space.html
http://esmat.esa.int/publications/published_papers/corrosion_in_space.pdf
https://www.esa.int/Applications/Telecommunications_Integrated_Applications/Sustainable_connectivity_in_space
sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/10/211029103127.htm
elpasoheraldpost.com/amys-everyday-astronomy-cold-welding-what-is-it-and-can-it-be-done-on-earth/#:~:text=Don't%20worry%2C%20though%2C,%2Dwelding%20doesn't%20occur
http://esmat.esa.int/Publications/Published_papers/STM-279.pdf
researchgate.net/publication/352145728_Cold_Welding_Based_Space_Debris_Removal_System livescience.com/61680-will-spacex-roadster-survive-in-space.html
