Ever since space exploration began in the 1950s, humans have been leaving behind debris from satellites, rocket boosters, and more. This graph shows which nations are responsible for the most space junk floating in Earth’s atmosphere. Why do you think the top three have left behind so much more than the others?
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Who’s Polluting Space?
COUNTRY or ORGANIZATION / PIECES OF DEBRIS IN SPACE
RUSSIA 7,032
U.S. 5,216
CHINA 3,854
FRANCE 520
JAPAN 117
INDIA 114
E.S.A.* 60
U.K. 1
*The European Space Agency has 22 member countries, including Germany, Italy, and Spain.
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