The February 2009 collision of a dead Russian satellite with an Iridium communications satellite left a cloud of debris in orbit and a number of questions on earth as to why and how it happened and who was responsible. Contrary to some popular impressions, outer space is not a lawless region, but an area governed by international law (and, in the case of U.S. spacecrafts and the U.S. parts of the International Space Station, by American law). Unfortunately, existing space law is inadequate to deal with the growing problem of space collisions and space debris. In this brief essay, we will note some of these problems and suggest some steps toward a solution, while drawing a few more general lessons regarding the state of international space law today.