Too much space junk orbiting Earth
The 3D printer has been used on the space station before, but only for designs that were tested and loaded before it left Earth. The 3D printer has been used on the space station before, but only for designs that were tested and loaded before it left Earth.
Washington - Experts say there is so much junk in space that some thought must finally be given to cleaning it up.
That may mean vacuuming up space debris with cosmic versions of nets, magnets and giant umbrellas. A new report says the situation got worse because of two recent events - a Chinese weapon test and the crash of two satellites.
Space junk can cause fatal leaks in spaceships or destroy valuable satellites. The International Space Station sometimes has to move out of the way of debris.
Since the space age began, the area just above Earth's atmosphere has been littered with leftover boosters and old satellites. There are now agreements to limit space junk but the report says the two recent events doubled the amount of fragments. - Sapa-AP