Orbital debris is "junk" made of pieces from spacecraft that are circling Earth. Humans have been launching objects into space for more than 50 years, and most of those objects have fallen back to Earth. A piece of debris falls back to Earth about once a day. These objects either land or burn up in the atmosphere. Most objects that return to Earth end up in water, since it makes up 70 percent of Earth's surface; however, many of the objects sent into space are still in orbit around Earth.

Question

As humans launch more and more objects, will Earth orbit turn into a dangerous, crowded junkyard? Space agencies around the world are working to make sure that does not happen. Since 1988, the United States has had an official policy to keep the creation of new orbital debris to a minimum, and NASA even has an Orbital Debris Program Office at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. This office looks for ways to create less orbital debris. It also looks for ways to get rid of debris that is already in space.
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What is this excerpt mostly about?
A.
Debris orbiting Earth is a hazard to NASA missions.
B.
The amount of debris orbiting Earth is decreasing.
C.
The United States government watches space debris.
D.
There is a lot of space debris currently orbiting Earth.

Answer 1

The excerpt is mostly about the presence and management of orbital debris around Earth. While it touches on the efforts made by space agencies like NASA to minimize and address this problem, the primary focus is on the current situation of space debris. Therefore, the best answer is:

D. There is a lot of space debris currently orbiting Earth.