At more than 1,000 miles from civilization in all directions, Point Nemo is unlike any other place in the world. In fact, it’s so remote that the closest humans to that location at any given time are likely to be astronauts. That’s why Point Nemo has been designated by NASA as their underwater space graveyard for falling debris. In 2031, when the International Space Station comes crashing down, it will be at Point Nemo — as far away from any humans as geographically possible. Known as “the oceanic pole of inaccessibility,” Point Nemo is literally in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by more than 1,000 miles of ocean in every direction. The closest landmasses to the pole are one of the Pitcairn Islands to the north, one of the Easter Islands to the northeast, and one island off the coast of Antarctica to the south. There are no human inhabitants on Point Nemo. Scientists chose to call the location “Nemo” because it’s Latin for “no one.” As for non-human inhabitants, there aren’t very many of those either. Without any food sources, sustaining most life in this part of the ocean is impossible. The only thing that’s been documented there are small crabs that live near the volcanic vents on the seafloor at Point Nemo. One thing Point Nemo has plenty of is space debris. Since 1971, more than 263 pieces of junk have crashed into the area, including the Russian Mir space station and NASA’s first space station, Skylab.
