The Proposed Cleaning of Space Junk Technology

Waste in space

On a June day in 2011, the six astronauts rushed toward an escape capsule at the International Space Station. They were preparing to fly the capsule toward Earth.

Emergency measures came after crashing metal flake station orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 360 kilometers. Though small, it splinters speed reached 17,500 mph (28,164 kph) and damage some parts.

NASA’s Solar Powered Micro-Satellite Will Clean Space Debris

Waste flakes were also once hit a micro-satellite and space shuttle Challenger in 1983. Challenger protective glass should be replaced because there are paint flakes are crashing. Its size was small, only 0.3 millimeters, but the speed is estimated to be very high, about 14 thousand miles per hour. Hubble space telescope antennas also suffered damage from the collision of space junk causing a hole large 1.9 x 1.7 inches. Based on the record of scientific research institutes Wired Science until April 2010, in 54 times the flight missions, carrying space junk and meteoroids hit the window of the plane up to 1,634 times so it should be the replacement of windows as much as 92 times.

Helping to solve the scrapheap challenge

So is 317 times the impact of the radiator plane, a replacement must be done 53 times. Indeed, as long as there is no clash of endangering the safety of the crew. But the fear of frequent collisions cause greater damage in the future, because the amount of space junk is believed will continue to multiply.

What should be done to clean the space of debris that amounted to millions of pieces of it? Institute study of the Ministry of Defense of the United States offer some solutions called Catcher's Mitt. They introduced the cosmic nets and space to take an umbrella and cut waste. There are also suggestions about the magnet that will catch the debris until the laser shots.

Solar sails could clean up space junk

Two scientists from the European Space Agency, Max Cerf and Brice Santerre, proposes a large screen that is named Aerobrake. They claim the devices are able to filter and collect space debris orbiting the earth.

A new form of sail, known as an "aerobraking sail,"

Friction from the big screen with a layer of the atmosphere will burn up the waste up to 25 years. It's faster when compared with age trash that can reach hundreds of years. Now the big screen was in the final stages of development and will be launched in a mission called the Ariane 5.

Aerobraking prototype (EADS Astrium)

U.S. National Research Council report, written by Donald Kessler, recommends the idea of ​​a private company to use satellites armed with electromagnetic waves. These satellites are able to attract a net issue to a single point of waste would be burned without harming the environment in Earth orbit. The idea is similar proposal Max Cerf and Brice Santerre.  *** [UWD | KORAN TEMPO 3639]