U. of C. satellite to help track ultra-small debris

A satellite designed by the University of Chicago has detectedtiny high speed particles from a Chinese rocket that exploded inspace 500 miles above the Earth.

It was the first time ultra-small particles have been linked tothe explosion of a specific object, and it could lead to moreaccurate tracking of the space junk that constantly threatenssatellites, spacecraft and astronauts.

The space junk particles, some smaller than a grain of sand, cantravel 19 times faster than a speeding bullet, and have the potentialto damage spacecraft and spacesuits.

They are produced by the explosion of man-made objects that litterthe heavens, mostly upper stage rockets used to …