For years we have been launching rockets, un-manned vehicles, space shuttles and satellites into space with the side effect of leaving debris  behind–creating a spreadout space landfill.  Literally, space junk orbiting around our planet: unfortunately there isn’t a parallel American Indian advertisement (below) to keep us aware of this growing problem, perhaps a little green man weeping may do the trick.

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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) stated yesterday:

Since the advent of the space-age over five decades ago, more than thirty-five thousand man-made objects have been cataloged by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network,” the agency notes. “Nearly twenty-thousand of those objects remain in orbit today, ninety-four percent of which are non-functioning orbital debris.

There are estimated to be hundreds of thousands of these smaller objects, and as debris hits other debris, it creates even more small pieces, exponentially increasing the amount of objects that could threaten satellites and spacecraft.

Our trash and junk build up on earth is known for off gassing, a cesspool for diseases, the landscape of landfill mountains, symbolizing our consumerism and/or affluenza.  Space Junk isn’t of the same aesthetic and doesn’t have the same attributes.  Its more a problem of velocity times mass set on a course with an expensive space craft.  Something as small as a raisin could be potentially harmful to the international space station and other craft.

However, since January 2007 we have experienced a nearly fifty percent increase in the number of cataloged debris objects, largely due to the intentional destruction of an active satellite by the Chinese government in 2007, as well as the collision between an active Iridium satellite and a retired Russian communications satellite earlier this year.

With space junk set to increase, due to the Chinese, Russians and US Navy mishaps, DARPA is reaching out and asking the world for a solution to clean up this problem.  Personally I would like them to beam down this junk to be recycled or redesigned into upcycled products, but that is inefficient and costly.

What wacky or reasonable solution would you propose to DARPA?

Recycling Center in Space?

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