Aprenda Inglês: Pesquisador propõe 'satélite gari' para limpar a órbita da Terra

The Space Age has left the Earth's orbit littered with debris that can endanger the life of astronauts and damage satellites. Now a researcher at the Italian Space Agency has proposed a series of automated 'sweepers' to start cleaning up.

Reportagem de Jason Palmer.

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After a half century of successes in space, low-Earth orbit has become a very messy place.

messy (desarrumado, bagunçado) untidy.

space junk (Lixo espacial. Fragmentos de foguetes e espaçonaves usados e outros detritos, que circulam a Terra) fragments of space travel leftovers that encircle the Earth.

a hand's breath (distância do dedo polegar ao dedo mindinho de uma mão aberta, um palmo) the width from thumb to little finger of a hand spread open.

manned space missions (missões tripuladas, veículos espaciais com astronautas a bordo) spaceships with astronauts on board.

threats (ameaças, objetos que podem causar uma colisão) items that could cause a collision.

skip (mover-se entre os objetos) move between the objects.

harmlessly (sem causar dano) not causing any damage.

orbital housekeeper (dispositivo que circula a Terra e "limpa" a área) device that circles the Earth and 'cleans' the area.

straightforward solution (solução simples e direta para o problema) uncomplicated answer to the problem.

unusable (inutilizável, que não pode ser usada) unfit to use.