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Russian scientist: it’s senseless to use nuclear weapons to fight space junk

The scientist compared use of nuclear weapons against space junk with the use of a steam-hammer to crack nuts

© ITAR-TASS/EPA/NASA/REID WISEMAN

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Russia's improved ballistic missiles to be tested as asteroid killers

YEKATERINBURG, February 15. /TASS/. It is senseless to use nuclear weapons to fight the fragments of space debris, Director of the Astronomy Institute, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences and Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Boris Shustov told TASS on Monday.

"Now specialists are considering a lot of methods to fight space junk, including those with the use of nuclear weapons. But it is senseless and completely unnecessary. It is like using a steam-hammer to crack nuts. That is why, scientists are actively developing new methods, from netting to using lasers," he said.

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Humankind may lose access to the near space in the imminent future, if the problem of space junk is not resolved, the scientist warned.

"We have brought such a number of artificial objects into orbit that we may lose access to outer space in 10-20 years. These objects constantly collide, creating a multitude of new dangerous fragments, which makes things worse," the Astronomy Institute head said.

According to data of the Central Research Institute for Machine-Building (TsNIIMASh), about 750 million artificial objects may be staying in the Earth’s orbit and, out of this number, Russian specialists can discern only about 17,000, of which 1,361 are operational space vehicles and the rest is space debris.

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Russia first among space junk producers — report

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Russian troops ensure safe rotation of IAEA observers at Zaporozhye nuke plant — top brass

Meanwhile, Ukraine’s military command attempted to endanger the life and safety of IAE experts and disrupt their rotation at the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant, the Russian Defense Ministry said

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Kiev strikes on Kursk NPP may cause Chernobyl, Fukushima-like disasters — Russian military

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov pointed out that one of Ukraine’s primary objectives in its incursion into the Kursk Region was to capture the Kursk NPP

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The Ukrainian armed forces lost over 150 troops in the Kursk area in the past day

Russia says its troops mined, blocked one route used by Ukrainian forces in Kursk Region

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US military base in Syria attacked by Iraqi Shiite units

Witnesses say that the Shiite units that are fighting on the part of the Syrian government army used kamikaze drones to attack the US base

Chisinau denies hundreds of thousands of Moldovans in Russia right to vote — Kremlin

Dmitry Peskov stressed that the Moldovan election was "neither democratic nor fair" and was "fraught with electoral manipulations"

Putin meets with visiting North Korean foreign minister — Kremlin spokesman

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Moscow calls on Seoul to refrain from sending weapons to Ukraine — diplomat

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Russian Guardsmen uncover Ukrainian arms cache with over 100,000 munitions in LPR

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Ukrainian National Guard troops with vehicles deployed on Belarusian Border — General

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Total losses of Ukrainian forces in Russia’s Kursk Region reach over 29,600 servicemen

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Russia’s Ionosfera-M satellites successfully put into orbit after launch

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Representatives of religious denominations, public and youth organizations will take part in the ceremon

Musk slams Harris for false claim about US troops in combat zones

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Guterres’ concern over rumors about DPRK soldiers in Russia duplicitous — MFA

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Kiev capable of staging provocation with use of nuclear fuel — Defense Ministry

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Hollywood actors face pressure to endorse Harris or risk career setbacks — Elon Musk

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Israel steps up readiness for potential Iranian strike — report

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Medvedev says any new uprising in Ukraine would seek to execute current leaders

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Russian-North Korean partnership treaty called to stabilize region — Russian diplomat

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Enemy plans to seize Kursk NPP, Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

Units of the battlegroup continued offensive operations, defeating Ukrainian formations in the areas of the settlements of Daryino, Leonidovo, Nikolayevo-Daryino, Novoivanovka and Plekhovo

Russia responds to Western sanctions with benefit for itself — MFA

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Presidential election voting kicks off in most American states

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NATO intends to fight 'defensive battles' thousands of miles from its territory — Lavrov

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Press review: Trump, Harris clash in swing states as EU likely to keep sanctions on Russia

Top stories from the Russian press on Tuesday, November 5th

Russia’s Fregat booster delivers 53 small satellites into target orbit

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Russian Air Defense Forces shot down four HIMARS missiles, Hammer bomb, 42 Ukrainian UAVs

Russia’s East battlegroup improves its position, Ukraine loses up to 110 servicemen

Russian forces display ingenuity and unconventional tactics in liberating DPR — official

Donetsk People’s Republic head Denis Pushilin also emphasized that the enemy should not be underestimated, so as not to diminish the significance of Russian forces' achievements

Putin to accept letters of credentials from 28 new ambassadors on November 5

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Press review: Lavrov embarks on EU visit and Russia permits individual crypto mining

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Russia supports fair relations in economy — Putin

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West’s erroneous course and preventing major war — what Putin told foreign ambassadors

Russia remains ready for talks with Ukraine, the Russian president noted

Sandu is winning in 2nd round of Moldovan presidential elections with 55.04% — CEC

Votes at a number of polling stations abroad are yet to be counted

Ukraine’s attempt to seize ZNPP threatens global nuclear industry — spokeswoman

The Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant is well-protected Yevgeniya Yashina added

Japan’s defense minister says North Korea launched 7 missiles that flew 400 km each

Japan issued a protest to Pyongyang through diplomatic channels

For US losing dollar as a standard of settlements would be like losing a war, Trump says

The Republican presidential candidate criticized the current US administration for allowing the unification of Russia, China, Iran, the DPRK and a number of other countries into one group

Americans were on the Moon but footage may have been filmed in advance — Russian cosmonaut

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US State Department says 10,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia’s Kursk Region

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Over 78 mln US citizens vote early in presidential election — Florida State University

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No difference for Russia who wins presidential election in US — diplomat

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Russia hammers Ukraine’s missile armament workshops, military airfields over past day

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US election results will bring peace or third world war — Serbian leader

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List of BRICS partner countries agreed, Putin says

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Crowds throw mud at Spanish king during visit to flood zone

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Trump says will acknowledge defeat if election is fair

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Trump says he’s fighting 'evil democrat system,' not Harris

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Malaysia rejects US call to 'stop being friendly' with Russia — PM

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Ukraine attacks Belgorod Region with 20 munitions, two UAVs in one day

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Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg appears at a rally in Georgia

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