"Close Call: Dead Russian Satellite Narrowly Avoids Collision with NASA Spacecraft"

NASA's TIMED satellite narrowly avoided colliding with a dead Russian spacecraft, which could have resulted in up to 7,500 fragments of debris being ejected into Earth's orbit. The increasing amount of space junk in low-Earth orbit is making satellite collisions more likely, posing a threat to future spaceflight and astronaut lives. Efforts to address the space debris problem include new space-industry norms, policies prompting self-destruction of spacecraft, and innovative space clean-up technologies still in testing.