Computer-generated image of objects in Earth orbit. Approximately 95 percent of the objects in this illustration are orbital debris (i.e., not functional satellites). (Photo: NASA)
Meet Outer Space's First Traffic Controller, in Residence at UA
Arizona Public Media interviews Moriba Jah, director of the UA Space Object Behavioral Sciences initiative.
Maneuvering safely in traffic is all about situational awareness.
On the ground, there are rules of the road, with travel lanes, traffic lights and speed limits. Ships follow sea lanes to traverse the world’s expansive oceans. In the air, pilots file flight plans, showing their altitude and how they will get from one place to another with the assistance of air traffic controllers.
But what about space?
“We don’t have any sorts of rules like that in space," UA’s Moriba Jah, the world’s first space traffic controller. "We do have some guidelines that have been put out by an international organization led by space agencies. Because it’s governmental, it doesn't necessarily bring in the expertise of academics and private industry."
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