"Space Junk Clean-Up Gets a Boost from Tractor Beam Technology"

Engineers at the University of Colorado Boulder are experimenting with a real-life "tractor beam" that could help clean up space junk without touching it. The device uses an electrostatic force to attract or repel objects from a distance, similar to the tractor beam in Star Trek. The researchers are testing their designs in a vacuum chamber that simulates space conditions. The technology could be a cheaper and safer way to remove space debris, which is becoming an increasingly serious problem in crowded orbits.