Swiss Engineers Plan “Space Janitor” to Clean Up Space Junk

Posted Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Featured on Episode of the 2011-2012 season

Even though our shuttles are no longer heading to space, there is still a ton of junk up there, and Swiss engineers would like to clean it up. NASA says more than half a million pieces of debris are circling the planet, including old satellites. Swiss engineers are developing a small satellite called CleanSpace One to do the job. It would grab space junk and pull it back towards earth, where both would burn up during re-entry.

Additional Information

PBS NewsHour Extra for Teachers: Swiss Create ‘Janitor’ Satellite to Clean Up Space Junk (pictures, video, links and activities)
Cleaning up Earth's orbit: A Swiss satellite tackles space debris
CNN: Short Video
Tree Hugger: Self-Destructing Janitor Satellite to Clean Up Space
Space.com: The Expanding Danger of Space Junk (video)

Classroom Activities

Science, math. Classroom lessons and activities for grades four to twelve about space junk, meteoroids and comets, and the CleanSpace One satellite.

Please follow our community discussion rules when composing your comments.

NewsDepth in Action

Recent Episodes

View previous episodes in this year's school season

Streaming Video FAQ

Having trouble playing or downloading this NewsDepth video? Check out our online video frequently asked questions page for help!

Lesson Plans

A variety of lesson plans for the classroom are available from our site.

About

A valuable source of current events for thousands of Ohio third through eighth grade students, this weekly news program helps teachers meet state academic content standards in language arts, social studies, and more while linking Ohio students with the world. Learn more about NewsDepth.

Meet the Hosts!

Rick Jackson has been the host of NewsDepth for several years. He is joined by co-host Michelle Kanu. They both work as reporters, producers and hosts at WVIZ/PBS ideastream in Cleveland. Learn more about Rick and Michelle!