How to safely/efficiently clean-up space 'junk' ?
Experimental DragRacer satellites will test 'Terminator Tape' for space junk cleanup this fall
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Feel free to reply to any comment by clicking the "Reply" button.International agreements prevent any country from putting weapons in Earth orbit. However, Russia has an idea to blast the space junk to Smithereens using a particle beam. It's another one of their bullshit projects. They really want to have a particle beam pointing down at you and me.
BitFlipper
Level 8
Aug 10, 2020
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Did you watch the video ? One of the proposals is the shoot ions at a defunct satellite to get into lower degrading orbit.
@FearlessFly I skipped the video. I'm familiar with the subject. I was lazy & didn't want to type all that. Yes the effect would be to slow the object so it would burn up in the atmosphere. But the particle beam is a weapon and it is the Russians.
@BitFlipper I remember hearing about it. Now wondering if US or Russia (both) was putting out fake news. A lot less space junk back then (70's). US started SDI under Reagan (80s).
I thought most of it eventually fell back into the atmosphere & burned up because their orbits degraded.??
If there is so much stuff up there it is getting dangerously cluttered, why cannot they signal them to degrade their own orbit?
AnneWimsey
Level 9
Aug 10, 2020
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Some (few? ) do have that capability. Watch the video in the article for other explanations of problems.
@FearlessFly but cheaper ones would degrade into free fall faster than more sophisticated ones, yes? The article glosses over that with lots of fancy words, but does actually say so in several places. Sounds a lot like trying to push up stock sales to me......
@AnneWimsey I don't thing any of them are cheap. And "free fall" doesn't describe degrading orbits into thicker atmosphere until the burn-up from the friction.
The video describes the degredation fairly well.
About 20 years ago, somebody came up with the idea of an orbiting spacecraft that would act as a 'vacuum cleaner' for space junk. But nothing has ever come of the idea.
davknight
Level 8
Aug 10, 2020
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Watch the video, multiple ideas are being considered. This is just the first test of one.
I've thought for a long time that all that space junk should be harvested by shuttle missions, then deposited on the moon for future re-utilization at an eventual lunar outpost. Short of that, a shuttle like the US used to have would be a good platform for collection and return.
bingst
Level 8
Aug 10, 2020
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Seems problematic to me (I claim NO expertise). If humans aboard, expensive. Watch the video, some satellites explode from unused fuel. Some are defunct and have no way to 'collapse' solar arrays/what-not.
@FearlessFly Good points. To be realistic, I don't think much of anything will ever happen. I'm more inclined to suspect that more time, effort, and money will be spent in cleaning up any messes than in avoiding them in the first place. This has been a known issue for more than 20 years.
@bingst I posted an article days ago about Amazon requesting permission (intl agency) for broadband satellites, with features to de-orbit (SpaceX also) in x years.
@FearlessFly I guess I missed that one, but I am familiar with SpaceX's deorbit plans. Still seems like a waste to me.
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