"Air Force General Kevin Chilton, a former astronaut, told a
conference in
Tel Aviv, Israel audience that the issue of space debris is out of
control.

The head of the U.S. Strategic Command said Wednesday that the U.S.
has determined there are more than 15, 000 items currently floating in
orbit around the earth. That includes everything from bits and pieces
from the Shuttle to portions of destroyed satellites.

"The estimation is that these numbers could grow upward of 50,000 in
total
numbers in the not-too-distant future," he said.

When that happens, that situation could make low-earth orbit
"uninhabitable
to man or machine," added Chilton."

See:

http://communities.canada.com/ottawa...s-general.aspx