Actually, re-reading your post, I'm going to go on a limb and say that it's definitely Planetes. Excellent series. Near future SF based around space 'garbage collectors' (even the smallest bit of debris can be dangerous when you're in orbit moving at thousands of miles per hour). For the most part, the physics are spot on (it's an NHK show, so whadya expect?), but the SF is more background to some really great character interaction. The best comparison I can think of would be to the Patlabor OVAs/TV series.
The manga is also really good, but more focused on one character and much more serious. It irks me to no end though that the morons at TP decided to use sigmas as "E's" on the cover. Especially when it's a Greek word to begin with.