This is pretty cool, the NASA Academy of Program/Project and Engineering Leadership (APPEL) has released a free iBook and ebook PDF about space junk. This is the official page for the NASA Orbital Debris and Risk Mitigation iBook on the NASA website.

The NASA Academy of Program/Project & Engineering Leadership (APPEL) is excited to announce the public release of Orbital Debris Management and Risk Mitigation, its first publication of NASA training materials using the iBook format.

Otherwise known as orbital debris, space junk can damage spacecraft while on missions and poses safety threats to astronauts.

The picture below shows the amount of junk orbiting planet Earth in 2010.

NASA has added photos and videos to the iBook to explain how orbital debris is created and to describe what is being done by the space agency to reduce the chances of generating more trash in space. Here’s a great set of photos of Orbital Debris and Risk Mitigation from flickr, these are all of the images and videos in the iBook.

The book weaves together an interactive story about the increase of space debris by incorporating 3D views of the International Space Station, images of debris damage, interactive timelines, and photos of junk that has fallen to Earth. The iBook does a great job showing a historical perspective of NASA regulations and American policies implemented to slow the growth of debris in space and minimize the risks it poses for future space missions.

It’s with extreme pride that I can say I know most of the team that developed this book. They’ve worked diligently to produce a beautiful interactive experience about unique NASA data. Kudos to the entire team.

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