The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space met in Vienna, Austria from February 9 to February 27. There was no agreement, however, on the best way to solve the problem of space junk. Some at the meeting suggested that the best way to go is to develop a way of cleaning up the junk already circling Earth. Others felt that time, energy, and money is best spent by building space systems that lessen the chances of any future collisions. The way to do that, say some, is to improve information sharing among nations that launch objects into space. The U.N. committee, which was established in 1958 shortly after the launching of Sputnik I, oversees treaties relating to outer space and generally acts as clearing house for information relating to international use of space. How nations cooperate to handle the growing menace of space junk has recently become an important matter for the committee to discuss. Check out the United Nations Office of Outer Space.
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