Space junk is on the rise, and no one is in charge of cleaning it up | There are at least 100 bags of human waste on the surface of the Moon.::There are at least 100 bags of human waste on the surface of the Moon.

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    11 year ago

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    With more countries landing on the Moon, people back on Earth will have to think about what happens to all the landers, waste, and miscellaneous debris left on the lunar surface and in orbit.

    “It’s going to be like an interstate highway, at rush hour in a snowstorm, with everyone driving much too fast,” space launch expert Johnathan McDowell told Space.com.

    The clutter in Earth’s orbit includes defunct spacecraft, spent rocket boosters, and items discarded by astronauts, such as a glove, a wrench, and a toothbrush.

    The United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967 says that no country can “own” the Moon or any part of it and that celestial bodies should only be used for peaceful purposes.

    However, the United States, Russia, and China never signed it, and in 2016 the US Congress created a law that unleashed the American commercial space industry with very few restrictions.

    The lead author of a Nature article arguing for a global commons filed an amicus brief—a type of outside comment offering support or expertise—on a case that went to the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in late 2021.


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