There was an article in the Wednesday, June 29th copy of the New York Times (page A12; "Debris Gives Space Station Crew Members a 29,000M.P.H. Close Call") that provided a moment of deep sadness for me. One of the paragraphs towards the end of the article indicates that, by some current estimates, there are as many as 500,000 pieces of artificial, man-made, material in near earth orbit. Some of the items are communication satellites, some are spent rocket boosters and some are pure "debris items" that are the result of collisions and component explosions. Regardless, these items are gradually filling up our near space with "space junk". To give you an idea as to just how much junk there is, refer to the following YouTube clip:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43ac9gmR3fA. I recognize the benefits that have extended from the technologies that placed most of the items in near earth orbit but it does seem to me that there will be a "tipping point" like trash thrown into a river ultimately destroys life below the surface of the water.
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