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Space junk is making a dangerous mess of our solar system

NASA says the International Space Station remains at increased risk from orbiting debris following Russian weapons test. On Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, Russia used a missile to destroy a satellite in an orbit just above the space station.  (NASA/AP)
NASA says the International Space Station remains at increased risk from orbiting debris following Russian weapons test. On Monday, Nov. 15, 2021, Russia used a missile to destroy a satellite in an orbit just above the space station. (NASA/AP)

Decades of space travel have left space filled with dangerous debris.

Some of this space junk — ranging from tiny to the size of a school bus — is orbiting at more than 17,000 miles per hour and causing headaches and near-misses that will only become more of an issue with a huge uptick in space launches and more satellites.

Host Scott Tong speaks with The Washington Post’s NASA and space reporter, Christian Davenport.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.