“The Kessler Effect” is the second track on Two Buck Cigar, the 2022 album by Dr. VonBones. Two Buck Cigar is a lo-fi garage rock/punk album exploring the essence and origins of modern American rootlessness. To Listen to the full album (for free), click the button below.

What is the Kessler Effect?

The Kessler Effect (named after NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler) is the exponential growth of space debris in low Earth orbit due to collisions of space objects. One collision could potentially have a domino-effect—wiping out the current network of satellites. The remaining distribution of space debris would make any future usage of space extremely difficult. To say the least, life on Earth would get a little hairy. There is currently an estimated 34,000 pieces of space junk larger than 10 centimeters, traveling at speeds of about 15,700 miles per hour, already in low Earth orbit.