Final answer:
Space debris in solar system models is accounted for as both leftover material from the solar system's formation and as a result of collisions after planet formation. By studying meteorites and cosmic dust, scientists gain insight into the solar system's ancient history and the chaotic processes of its early stages. These findings help explain planetary orbits, planet spin, and the distribution of space debris.
Step-by-step explanation:
The presence of space debris is accounted for by solar system models in several ways. Space debris is material left over from the early solar system that never formed into planets. However, some space debris also was formed by the collision of objects after the planets were established. As such, space debris includes both remnants from the original disk of gas and dust that formed the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago, as well as newer material created from collisions of planetesimals and other objects.
Astronomers study this debris to learn about the ancient history of the solar system. Observational, motion, chemical, and age constraints are key aspects considered by models of solar system formation. Sampling and analysis of meteorites and cosmic dust provide evidence for these models, as they are direct remnants of the solar system's formation processes. The random impacts and collisions in the early solar system are also important factors that led to the current configuration, including the orbits and spin of planets, and they contribute to the present-day composition and distribution of space debris.