[youngtaff]

> And re-entry is part of the cleanup plan

Polluting the upper atmosphere with copper, aluminium and other compounds with unknown consequences is hardly a cleanup plan

[ftchd]

if you combine all the fallen starlink satellites and the debris/waste they produce in a year, it comes down to about less than 0.1% of what the earth receives from space in the same year

[BriggyDwiggs42]

Is that true? I recall seeing a 16% or so number for the increase in mass burning up in the atmosphere.

Edit: I can’t find a source for any number for the increase. If you know could you share one?

Ah nevermind this seems solid https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02731...

[jvanderbot]

100 tons/day from NASA https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/asteroids/asteroid-fast-fa...

[BriggyDwiggs42]

Okay, that makes sense. The reading I did indicated that the composition of the man-made mass is very different, and could greatly elevate the amount of certain elements released in the upper atmosphere, like aluminum. Is this not cause for concern?

[jvanderbot]

I think the answer is "nobody knows"

[peterfirefly]

Meteorites are a thing, you know.