The story of Planetes follows the crew of the DS-12 “Toy Box” of the Space Debris Section, the purpose of which is to prevent the damage or destruction of satellites, space stations and spacecraft from collision with debris in near-earth space.

The episodes sometimes revolve around debris collection itself (and features highly realistic settings and orbital mechanics), but more often the concept of collecting “trash” in space is merely a storytelling method for building character development.

I found it a very engaging series and while it is not for everyone it is certainly worth watching.