The report, Limiting future collision risk to spacecraft, was commissioned by Nasa last April to evaluate its programmes on'space junk', officially known as MMOD ( Micrometeoroids and Orbital Debris).

The drifting space junk may collides with the solar panels. The dynamics characteristic of the structure is an important indicator when spacecraft was designed.

漂移的太空垃圾可能与太阳能帆板发生碰撞，帆板结构的动力学特性也是设计需要考虑的重要指标。

Its purpose is unknown, and could be civilian: a project to hoover up space junk, for example.

目前还不知道该物体的目的是什么，不能排除民用目的：比如一个吸入太空垃圾的项目。

The single largest space-junk incident was in 2007, when the Chinese military blew up a satellite just to show that it could.

而最大的一起太空垃圾事件发生在2007年，当时中国军方炸掉了一颗卫星，只是为了展示中国有能力这么做。

NASA says it believes a large piece of space junk is not going to be any threat to the astronauts in space.

NASA称，大片的太空垃圾不会对太空中的宇航员造成威胁。

NASA says a large piece of space junk could pass within 2 miles at the station today, but notes it does not expect to be a problem.

NASA称，今日将由一大片太空垃圾进入国际空间站2英里范围之内，但是预计不会造成什么问题。

Red-faced astronomers only discovered it a few days before and until then they thought it was a piece of space junk.

这块红色的物体被发现以及有几天的时间了，在最后被证实其实只是一块太空垃圾。

As with climate change, there's a burden to be shared here, a threat of uncertain magnitude, and plenty of opportunity for free riding.

太空垃圾问题和气候变化问题类似：需要大家共担责任，面临的威胁大小难以预料，有许多“搭便车”的机会。

Have you ever seen some space junk with your own eyes?

你在空间站亲眼眼看到过太空垃圾吗？

Yet there's a sense of everything happening spontaneously, of surreal freedom plus a fearful randomness that unleashes those debris storms.

但它给人一种一切都自然发生的感觉，给人一种超现实的自由感，和一种恐怖的随机感（太空垃圾风暴无端爆发）。

It will always be cheaper and easier to prevent debris rather than remove it after the fact.

防止太空垃圾产生总是比产生之后清除成本要低，也更容易。

For example, when a U.S. satellite hit an old Russian rocket in 2009, it broke into more than 2,000 pieces, increasing the amount of space junk.

例如,2009年,一颗美国卫星撞上一枚老旧的俄罗斯火箭时,它裂成了2000多块碎片,增加了太空垃圾的数量。

It is the solar maximum period so some solar activity can be expected, and they have already laid the groundwork for their space junk claims.

现在是太阳活动峰期所以可以预期某些太阳活动，而且他们已经为太空垃圾的声明打好了底子。

To reduce additional space junk, countries have agreed that all new space tools can only stay in space for 25 years at most.

为了减少额外的太空垃圾，各国同意所有新的太空工具最多只能在太空停留25年。

NASA says it believes a large piece of space junk is not going to be any threat to the astronauts in space.The rocket debris is expected to pass within 2 miles of the Shuttle Discovery and international space station tomorrow.

NASA称，大片的太空垃圾不会对太空中的宇航员造成威胁。明天，预期该火箭残骸将进入发现号航天飞机和国际空间站两英里之内。

Many scientists also suggesting different ways to clean up space junk.

许多科学家还提出了清理太空垃圾的不同方法。

Nudging would also be more accurate and it is thought the process could divert up to half of all space junk.

运用激光具有准确性高的特点，据预计，这样的方法可以清扫掉近一半的太空垃圾。

Nasa is considering using lasers to deflect space junk around Earth and stop it colliding with satellites.

美国宇航局NASA目前正在打算利用激光给环绕在地球周围的太空垃圾来一次大扫除，目的是为了防止他们与卫星发生碰撞。

Lasers similar to those used for welding in car factories would be fired through telescopes to 'nudge' piles of rubbish left in orbit.

这种激光的应用类似于汽车厂里的焊接技术，而这种激光将会通过望远镜来发射并推开轨道上遗留的太空垃圾。

In England scientists are testing a metal net that can be fired into space junk.

在英国,科学家正在测试一种可以发射到太空垃圾中的金属网。

The gentle movement would stop them from taking out communications satellites or hitting the International Space Station.

这样的一个动作这将有效的预防太空垃圾与通讯卫星或者国际空间站发生撞击。