Scientists design net to clean up orbiting space junk


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Japanese scientists are trying to take out the trash ? in space

There are approximately 100 million bits of man-made junk floating in space, the majority of which is only 700 to 1,000 kilometers above the Earth?s surface, according to Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post. And it?s not just sitting pretty ? all of this debris poses a threat.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has partnered with a fishing-equipment company to design a net that can catch space debris, much like how a fisherman would catch trout

JAXA will send a rocket and satellite into orbit, where the latter will unreel a wire net approximately 300 meters long. The net will then generate a magnetic field, and if all goes well, catch some of the debris. Tests will begin in late February.

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What do they do with the net & junk -- dump it into the ocean ... ?

It will conveniently re-enter the atmosphere directly over China.  :shifty:

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This debris isn't necessarily going to be stationary so I can see this net getting a few holes in it and the rocket is going to need a hella lot of maneuvering fuel to make any dent in the collection.

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