Dutch design lab proposes turning space junk into fireworks

ALMERE, NETHERLANDS — A Dutch design company has come up with ideas of how to dispose of space junk turning them into fireworks is one of the options, reports Inhabitat.

Dutch artist Daan Roosegaarde has come up with two rough ideas to dispose of space waste...but his pictures are real pretty.

The European Space Agency and Dutch design lab Studio Roosegaarde are collaborating to find sustainable methods to dispose of space waste.

According to NASA, there are currently 500,000 pieces of space debris orbiting Earth at speeds of over 28,100 kilometers per hour.

One of the proposals is called Shooting Stars. This project aims to pull orbiting space debris back into Earth's atmosphere. As the objects re-enter they would burst into flames creating fake shooting stars or dancing lights similar to a firework show.

The second concept proposed by the design lab consists of somehow creating sustainable 3D-print buildings and structures using space junk. These would be used to develop living spaces for human colonies on the Moon.

Currently, the design lab is exhibiting The Space Waste Lab Performance, an outdoor artwork comprised of LED lights that track space waste traveling above Earth's atmosphere. This is also a result of the collaboration with the European Space Agency.

Artists and scientists don't often mix but ESA Director Franco Ongaro thinks it's a better idea than most think stating, "this cooperation is all the more important when dealing with issues like space debris, which may one day impact our future, and our ability to draw maximum benefits from space."