No Feasible Cleanup for Tons of Space Junk
About 9,000 pieces of space debris are orbiting Earth, and currently there’s no workable and economic way to clean up the mess, NASA scientists reported Friday in the journal Science.
The pieces of space junk measuring 4 inches or more total about 5,500 tons.
Most of the debris is 550 to 625 miles above Earth, well above the orbits of the International Space Station and space shuttles.
Much of the debris results from explosions of satellites, especially old upper stages left in orbit with leftover fuel and high-pressure fluids.
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