Ever since humans began exploring space, they've been leaving things behind. This includes the estimated half-million pieces of space junk that are currently being tracked by space programs around the world.
We know that space junk is an issue that's on the radar of NASA and other agencies. But now, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has designed an electrodynamic tether (EDT) to clean up the mess.
The tether is a 2,300’ line that will use its own electric current and Earth’s magnetic field to detect debris, slow it down, drop the junk into a lower orbit, and then redirect it towards a harmless demise via re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere.
Want to learn more about the EDT? Our friends at Industrial Equipment News have the details.