Could a harpoon be used to clear up junk in space?
A new study has shown that millions of pieces of junk floating in space could be a big hazard for satellites orbiting Earth.
Serious collisions could take place that would damage the satellites we depend on for communication. Scientists fear the problem could get worse unless something is done to clear up the mess.
In this programme Rob and Jen discuss why the problem exists and how a harpoon could be used to clear up some of the mess.
This week's question:
The Russian satellite, Sputnik, was the first man-made object to be blasted into space. Do you know in which year it was launched?
a) 1957
b) 1960
c) 1967
Listen to the programme to find out the answer.
Listen
Cleaning up space
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Vocabulary
- junk
rubbish; unwanted or useless things
- mess
untidy place
- debris
broken pieces from a larger object
- disposed of
put away somewhere where they won't cause harm
- recovered
get something back to where it came from
- clutter
lots of objects in an untidy state
- talking rubbish
saying things that are untrue or ridiculous
- redundant
no longer needed
