Infographic: Waste in Space

Currently, a thick band of levitating space junk—composed primarily of broken satellite pieces and discarded rocket boosters—skirts the Earth. Two or three times a day, a satellite circling our planet narrowly misses a torrent of the orbital debris. This phenomenon has jeopardized not only current space travelers, but future missions as well.

A collaboration between GOOD and Column Five Media

Sources: NASA, Wall Street Journal, U.S. Space Surveillance Network, Space.com, Universe Today, National Geographic, ESA Debris Office