Now there is far greater recognition that space debris is an indiscriminate killer. It remains the biggest threat to satellites, the space shuttle, and the International Space Station. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has preliminarily reported that if another catastrophic accident occurs to the space shuttle, there is a 50-percent chance that it would be the result of space debris. Space
shuttle windows have needed to be replaced 55 times between 1981 and 1996 due to pits caused by tiny pieces of debris. Even in the absence of ASAT tests over the past two decades, the amount of orbital debris has doubled. In a typical year, 150 metric tons of debris, including paint flecks, pieces of rocket boosters, and stray nuts and bolts enter into orbit. More than 13,000 objects greater than 10 centimeters in diameter are now tracked by U.S. Air Force Space Command.

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Katz-Hyman, Michael and Michael Krepon. "Viewpoint: Space Weapons and Proliferation." Non Proliferation Review. Vol. 12, No. 2 (July 2005): 323-341. [ 15 quotes ] [ page 327 ]