There is a lot of junk cruising around in space. They estimate that there could be over a million pieces of space junk out there. Most of it is smaller than a tennis ball. And it comes from pieces of old rocket boosters, parts of broken satellites, and tools that the astronauts have dropped while space-walking. All of this pose a serious risk to the space mission. They say it's a bigger risk than accidents on liftoff or landing. This junk isn't just floating around space. It's moving at incredible speeds - 21,600 mph. That is fast!
Jim Hollopeter, a rocket designer, has come up with a solution for the junk floating around in space. He wants to use old rockets, armed with water guns, to shoot the junk. The idea is that the water guns will shoot the junk toward the atmosphere where it will burn up.
Cool! I love this kind of stuff!