Frankly, at the cost per pound of putting stuff up there it would seem someone would begin to realize this stuff has value. It would seem there could be a tidy profit in recycling this stuff.
The stuff still belongs to whoever paid to make it and put it up there. And some of it is classified in nature.
This could lead to some interesting lawsuits.
It would seem there could be a tidy profit in recycling this stuff.
As prefab pieces it is worth keeping in orbit, but space vehicles are so specific and specialized that I doubt much of it could be used as-is. A space-baced smelter and casting platform could use it. If NASA had kept main shuttle fuel tanks in orbit, we could have a large habitat there by now.
The cost of getting it up there doesn’t increase the value, it’s up there. And most of it is pure junk, bolts and bits of metal that come off during various transitions in missions. The biggest problem is inertia, the stuff is traveling faster than the speed of sound to stay in orbit, make it hurt bad when it hits something. Also makes it difficult to clean up.