Lasers shine a new light on the space junk air pollution problem

Scientists are using a new technique to study incoming space debris and its effects on Earth's atmosphere. Observational evidence is being gathered that the ablation of space debris can be detected by ground-based light detection and ranging (LiDAR), a remote-sensing technology that uses laser beams to measure precise distances and movement in an environment, in real time. Last year, for the first time, a lithium cloud in the upper atmosphere was linked to the reentry of a rocket stage. …