Space Debris

There is a lot of junk floating in space around Earth. Old rockets, broken satellites, and tiny bits of metal all orbit our planet. This junk is called space debris. There are millions of pieces of debris flying around Earth at very high speeds.

Why Space Debris Is Dangerous

Even a tiny piece of debris can cause big damage because it moves so fast. A fleck of paint traveling at orbital speed can crack a space station window. Larger pieces could destroy satellites or threaten astronauts. The International Space Station sometimes has to move out of the way of debris.

Cleaning Up Space

Scientists are working on ways to clean up space junk. Some ideas include using nets, harpoons, or lasers to capture debris. Others want to use robot arms to grab old satellites. Pieces in low orbit slowly fall back to Earth and burn up. But pieces higher up can stay in orbit for hundreds of years.

Fun Facts

• There are over 27,000 pieces of tracked space debris larger than a softball orbiting Earth.
• Space junk travels at about 17,500 miles per hour in orbit.
• Even a tiny chip of paint in orbit can cause damage because it moves 10 times faster than a bullet.

Did You Know?

Scientists estimate there are over 100 million pieces of space debris smaller than a centimeter orbiting Earth right now.