Whereas sonar could not distinguish man-made debris on the sea bed from natural objects, cameras could.
MEEP also fulfilled the need to examine the occurrence and effects of man-made debris and natural micrometeoroids through capture and impact studies.
Usually they are relatively small and the risks they present are far smaller than those posed by the man-made debris that circles the Earth.
It is the site of an unusually intense collection of man-made marine debris, known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
This annual endeavor, aimed at removing cans, plastic and other man-made debris from woodland trails, has been held for more than 20 years.
The North Atlantic garbage patch is an area of man-made marine debris found floating within the North Atlantic Gyre, originally documented in 1972.
It had looked like a bit of man-made debris, all right.
Impacts by space objects such as meteoroids, micrometeorites and orbiting man-made debris, pose another design constraint on the cable.
The high elevation, dry climate, and freedom from light pollution offer virtually year-round observation of satellites, missiles, man-made orbital debris, and astronomical objects.
In their florilegium - or encyclopedic book - they have meticulously illustrated all 57 varieties of plants as well as instances of the man-made debris they found.