We're Surrounded!

Or, as Gizmodo puts it, space is full of crap. It seems that in addition to the normal trash we've left in orbit, Earth is being surrounded by smaller particles and debris that are the result of explosions of old satellites and other junk. This cloud of dust could get thicker and thicker as more of the rubbish we've left up there collides, disintegrates, and blows itself apart. It causes several problems. The ESA states that "objects from 1 to 10 cm in size — about the diameter of a salad bowl — cause the real worry. These are too small and numerous to be individually tracked but could cripple or kill any craft they hit." The problem is that even though the stuff is small, it moves really fast. The ESA notes that "As of 2001, Space Shuttle windows had been replaced 80 times due to sub-millimetre object impacts. " Sometimes space junk could be made usable, but as Slashdot notes, patent disputes can get in the way of such endeavors. The ESA suggests using clean spacecraft operation techniques to reduce our litter. As this comparison shows, that could help, but it still won't solve the problem entirely.