RAS question
The Kessler Syndrome refers to:
Correct answer: (B) A scenario where space debris collisions create a cascade making LEO unusable.
The Kessler Syndrome is a runaway cascade in which collisions among orbital debris create still more debris, eventually increasing the risk to satellites and spacecraft until a low-Earth orbit can become unusable.
Explanation
The Kessler Syndrome is not a disease or a computing error; it is an orbital-debris risk. Donald Kessler's 1978 idea describes cascading collisions among space debris that could make low-Earth orbit unusable. NASA's Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris page supports the mechanism: spent rockets, satellites and other space trash accumulate in orbit, raising the chance of collision; each collision creates more debris, which can trigger a chain reaction also called collisional cascading. Once that cascading begins, NASA notes, the risk to satellites and spacecraft keeps rising until the orbit is no longer usable. That is why option B captures both essential parts: debris collisions and the resulting loss of practical use of LEO.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) A is wrong because the syndrome concerns orbital debris and collision cascades, not a medical condition caused by space radiation.
- (C) C is wrong because the issue belongs to orbital mechanics and space-debris management, not quantum-computing errors.
- (D) D is wrong because Kessler Syndrome describes collisional cascading in orbit, not a nuclear meltdown or reactor-accident scenario.
Concept
This tests the Science and Technology syllabus area on space technology, especially risks created by satellites, launch debris and orbital operations. It recurs in RAS because space debris links basic orbital science with policy-relevant questions on satellite safety and the sustainability of space activities.