BANDUNG: Bosscha Observatory and National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) are mulling a plan to install an early warning station in Biak, West Papua, to detect meteorites and scraps of satellites falling to Earth.
Bandung-based Bosscha director Hakim Luthfi Malasan said the idea had been shelved 18 years ago, when US space agency NASA launched a space guard network in the wake of fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 colliding with Jupiter in 1994.
"Technically, we just install optic telescopes to patrol the skies and send a warning when an object is approaching Earth," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
The project is estimated to cost Rp 500 billion, which according to Hakim is not too dear considering its important function protecting people.
The potency of meteorites falling to earth is categorized as high in Indonesia with the most recent incident taking place in Jakarta.
Based on Bosscha's observations, meteorites fall to Earth in Indonesia eight times a year, which does not include fragments of satellites, predicted to weigh up to 25 tons, and space junk floating in the Earth's orbit. - JP
Source: thejakartapost.com
