GOLDEN, Colorado — The increased amount of space hardware flying through cislunar space and around the moon is, among experts, a growing worry. Even one fragmentation event can have calamitous and far-reaching consequences for future lunar exploration, which drives the need for appropriate debris characterization tools. 

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Leonard David has been reporting on space activities for nearly 50 years. He is the 2010 winner of the prestigious National Space Club Press Award and recently co-authored with Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin the book “Mission to Mars — My Vision for Space...