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[deleted] OP t1_isykz9i wrote

Reply to comment by dittybopper_05H in En Route to Neptune by [deleted]

How about asteroids?

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dittybopper_05H t1_isz7nky wrote

Naw, but my dad does. Can't even sit on the toilet some days.

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Joking aside, there are a lot of micrometeoroids out there, but relatively few asteroids. There have been experiments on spacecraft to detect the impacts.

For example, both Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11, which were deep spacecraft that ventured into that part of the solar system had micrometeoroid detection systems. I don't know what the results were, but I know they did register some impacts.

As far as the larger debris, it's instructive that we've been sending spacecraft to the outer solar system and beyond since the 1970's and we've never had one disabled by a meteroid or asteroid impact. Space is just vastly huge and almost (but not quite) completely empty.

The real danger would be in the asteroid belt between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter, and there are also other areas of heightened concerns like the Jupiter trojans.

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