Space debris orbits the Earth and is composed of previously used spacecraft parts, retired satellites and similar objects. It is important to catalog and track space debris because it can pose risks to satellites that are currently in use as well as human activities in space. This article describes an effort to use ground-based laser reflections to locate and track pieces of space debris, which helps in this ongoing effort.

http://www.raa-journal.org/raa/index.php/raa/article/view/1856