It is a junkyard up there.
 

Space debris: evolution in pictures


http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESOC/SEMN2VM5NDF_mg_1.html

http://www.esa.int/images/Bee-Hive-6_L.jpg

Read a news story yesterday where a shop owner was nearly missed by a piece of scalding hot cast iron. The piece the size of a brick came whisteling down from the heavens, smashing through the roof, comming to rest on a work bench missing the man by a foot or two. The metal was too hot to touch.

FAA claims it did not come from an aircraft as that type of metal is not used in aircraft.

No conjecture as to its source was given, but my guess it has something to do with tthe two sattelites that wacked into each other last week.

I wouldn't expect there is much cast iron in satellites for the same reason they don't use it in aircraft.

Thats what I thought too then I remembered "Made in China" :oops:

Many a night I have laid under the desert sky in Baja, Mexico watching the sattelites go by, wondering just how much of it was space junk going along. What I'd like to see is a huge piece entering and burning up the atmosphere.....now that would be awesome............:yeah: :yeah: :yeah:

They're still pulling parts of Skylab out of the Australian desert! Looking at the photo, you can see why NASA gets nervous about sending man into space!

what places you go to in baja? iv seen stuff burning up on reentry also in the baja desert haha, hell i like in tecate

These sats were not space stations they were light and most of the remaining bits would be vaporized upon entry.

Any of these stories of people nearly being hit by a piece or whatever is a bunch of hogwash.