This Giant Space Dust Buster Just Launched To Help Clean Up Space Junk

Space junk whizzing around at thousands of miles an hour is a huge threat to satellites in space. Now Japan's space agency hopes a 1,000-foot stretch of wires can help cut down on the debris.

Space junk has been a problem since space travel began: When Sputnik launched in 1957, it left behind part of a rocket. Now, decades later, hundreds of thousands of marble-sized pieces of satellites and spacecraft are orbiting around Earth. Since the trash is traveling at up to 17,500 miles per hour, even a tiny fleck of old paint can be enough to damage new space missions.

Read Full Story