12/13/2021
■Class discussion: Can anything be done to clean up or limit the accumulation of junk orbiting the Earth? Before Russia’s test in November, China, India and the United States all tried out their satellite killers and spread debris into orbit. Is the race to control and exploit space making it more dangerous? Should private companies in different nations continue with plans to launch thousands of tiny satellites to beam high-speed internet service down to Earth? Is it possible for any international agency to control what happens in the space around our world? How would life on Earth change if growing space debris makes most satellites unusable?