12/12/2016
■Class discussion: Where did all the trash in Earth’s orbit come from? How fast does the debris travel? Does space junk ever make it through the atmosphere and strike the surface of the Earth? The orbiting junk threatens astronauts and satellites. How might such impacts affect your life? It is expensive to develop and test methods to clear away space debris. Why is it worth it? Some of the junk dates back to the beginning of space exploration. What U.S. space pioneer died last week?