Were you ever hit by a piece of trash with a 22000km/hour velocity? If you are reading this then probably not. Lucky you! But it is the greatest fear of everyone on the space station. For a long time we have been throwing rubbish into space, like irresponsible drivers throwing rubbish out of their windows. Now space debris has become a serious problem and a problem that is getting bigger all the time.
Larger pieces of space debris (over 1cm counts as large) are monitored and sometimes the ISS moves to avoid collisions. But it is time we cleaned space up. If we don't it could mean that we can never grow into a space faring species.
A prize has been offered for ideas on how to do it and there are a few efforts underway. Will it be enough and in time? And who is responsible for sweeping up rubbish in space?
Bring your lightspeed broom and join us in GeekSpeak to talk about it.
Please IM Vulcan Viper if you have any ideas for future discussions.
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