This 'Empty Trash Bag' Is Orbiting Earth in a Very Strange Way

space.com ^ | January 30, 2019 12:26pm ET | y Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Contributor |

[Army Air Corps]

Ping.

[Candor7]

Any chance that its SCOTUS Justice Ruth Ginsburg?

[Steely Tom]

I would think the number of launches that could put an object into such a strange orbital state would be pretty small.

[SunkenCiv]

the Haleakala (ATLAS-HKO) Observatory in Hawaii ... is tasked with detecting near-Earth objects to warn of dangerous chunks that might impact the planet. This particular object is not dangerous, but it is weird.

Obviously one of the "stars" fell off the big dome we live under on this Flat Earth. /s

Thanks BenLurkin.

[mrsmith]

An empty trashbag would be very useful. There’s a lot of trash in orbit.

[SunkenCiv]

It's either Glad or Hefty.

[EnglishOnly]

It’s probably stamped: - Return to Sender!

[Alas Babylon!]

Paper or plastic?

[TADSLOS]

It’s Zod and his posse.

[onedoug]

Orbital surplus would be the job of the 21st century...if only it could be made efficient.

[Chode]

LOLOL!!!

[Windflier]

Libs... Always throwing their trash out of the car window, while lecturing the rest of us about saving the planet.

[mrsmith]

“..if only it could be made efficient.”
Or profitable.

Trash is trash. Picking it up has gotta be charged to someone.

[Ouchthatonehurt]

Clearly Trump’s fault.

[Redwood71]

Now all they’ve got to do is send an old guy up there with a white suit and cap, a broom, dust pan, and a grabber arm to fill he bag. And he would probably be union and make real bank.

rwood

[Bayard]

Is Sam Mendes filming another movie?

Queue emotional theme music.

“Do you want to see the most beautiful thing I ever filmed? It was one of those days when it’s a minute away from snowing. And there’s this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it, right? And this bag was just... dancing with me ... like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. That’s the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid. Ever. Video is a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember ... I need to remember...

Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world ... I feel like I can’t take it... and my heart is just going to cave in.”

[Bratch]

Somebody call sanitation.

[blueplum]

so is that what happens to weather balloons - they become solar wind kites? But the bigger question is, will it attract aliens?

[mrsmith]

benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid.

LOL!
But, yes, that happens.