Spacecraft & satellites at risk from 50,000 pieces of debris that hurtle around the Earth

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MEXICO: Scientists at the University of Southampton claim missions, spacecraft and satellites are at risk from 50,000 pieces of debris hurtling around the Earth
Spacecraft are at risk from dangerous debris which is currently hurtling around Earth at enormous speed following the explosion of a US satellite, scientists have warned.
The crisis echoes the plot of Hollywood science fiction blockbuster Gravity, in which Sandra Bullock and George Clooney were left stranded when fast-moving space junk collides with the Hubble Telescope during a repair mission.
Now scientists at the University of Southampton claim that other missions, spacecraft and satellites are at risk from 50,000 pieces of debris which are no bigger than the ball of a ball-point pen.
They include two satellites used by the Met Office to predict the weather; two US military and intelligence gathering crafts; Russian spy and meteorological satellites; a Canadian disaster management system and a US satellite currently mapping the devastation of the Nepal Earthquake.