NASA Graveyard in Pacific Ocean

By Isabelle Parker

Point Nemo is the most remote part of the planet- and it is home to decades' worth of discarded space junk.

Located between Antarctica and South America, Point Nemo is so far away from land that its closest humans are on board the International Space Station. Because of this, NASA and other space agencies decided it would be the safest place to dump past projects, and the point has been used for this since 1971.

Astronomer Dr Sarah Webb said that "when there's the risk that there could be a substantial amount of other material left behind - even a few kilos - you want it to land as far away from humans as possible, so Point Nemo is perfect for that."

Most small satellites burn and disintegrate before they reach Earth, but the larger objects have to be disposed of.

It's possible to leave the objects to orbit the Earth, but there is a possibility that they could collide with other space missions, which would prove deadly for the humans upon them. In addition to this, space is becoming crowded with metal rejects, and it is more sustainable to land them on Earth.

In future, NASA hopes to have satellites go and collect the space junk instead of landing it in the ocean.

Dr Sarah Webb says,

"It's roughly 2,800 kilometres away from any human being on the planet - it's an extraordinarily safe spot."