This gecko-inspired robot could help solve our space debris dilemma

It's no secret that in our decades of space travel, we haven't always cleaned up after ourselves. Space debris--like dead satellites, empty rocket fuel containers, and shrapnel from past collisions like the 2009 Russian satellite crash--is gradually building up in the Earth's orbit. The off-world litter is causing current astronauts real problems, as new missions require careful calculations to keep track of and avoid obstacles. The International Space Station makes adjustments several times a year to avoid disastrous collisions with such space junk. But no one knows how to pull the trash in and get rid of it. Some debris can be hooked if it has a handle, but much of the trash is made of up smooth surfaces that have no access points.