Space Junk Menace Becomes a Gamer's Dilemma in 'Habitat'

Orbital debris is a menace – that's a fact. How to de-clutter space from human made junk is an on-going concern by numbers of countries.

Space nets, laser blasts, garbage scows, giant foam balls – these and other techniques have been proposed to deal with space junk.

One imaginative solution to pollution can be found in "Habitat," a space-theme strategy game that places you in high orbit around a ravaged Earth far in the future. [7 Wild Ideas to Clean Up Space Junk]

"Your survival depends on your ability to sift through centuries of floating space junk to construct a sustainable base," explains 4gency, a talented group of PC, mobile, and tablet platform gamers based in Seattle, Washington.

"Habitat" is a physics-based space survival game where you build, fly, and fight with stations you assemble out of space debris.

 "Upgrade and arm your creations with weapons and structures you find in orbit, fly and explore using rocket physics, and do battle with deadly enemies to save humanity," notes 4gency. "This is a space survival game where crisis is guaranteed and your only chance for survival is to be creative and decisive in the face of disaster."

According to 4gency: "Leading your team of engineers, you will have to build and fly your space stations in a zero gravity setting, mastering physics driven flight simulation to explore the space around you. In order to thrive and grow you have to manage your population and their environment. In the event of a threat get creative and turn your space stations into deadly weapons using pieces of debris you pick up such as rockets, lasers and particle accelerators to fight and ultimately survive against attacks from the enemy."

For more information on Habitat, go to: http://www.jointhe509th.com

Leonard David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. He is former director of research for the National Commission on Space and is co-author of Buzz Aldrin's 2013 book "Mission to Mars – My Vision for Space Exploration," published by National Geographic, with a new updated paperback version to be released in May. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Published on Space.com.