What can be done to clean up space debris?
How to Clean Up Space NASA is looking at ways to clear Earth’s lower orbit of debris There is an enormous number of objects remnant from previous missions currently orbiting Earth, most of which have the potential of seriously damaging spacecrafts intersecting their trajectories. Only last year, the destruction of China’s Fengyun-1C satellite left behind about 150,000 individual objects less than a half of an inch in size, and the accumulation of debris will not stop very soon, says NASA’s Orbital Debris Program. Something must be done fast in order to collect at least some of the trash our space program left behind. We may just find ourselves one day stranded on Earth, unable to launch into space because of fear of damage inflicted by a potential collision with one of these objects. Already the effects are clearly seen, some spacecrafts even had to be delayed in order to ensure the structural integrity. Last month, the orbital graveyard just got richer with 3,000 new objects, with the
Now, this is a neat idea: NASA Hopes Laser Broom Will Help Clean Up Space Debris Paris (AFP) August 16, 2000 – NASA is to test a laser “broom” capable of removing debris in the path of the International Space Station (ISS), on a space shuttle mission in 2003, the British magazine New Scientist reports in its Saturday issue. The broom, dubbed Project Orion, is designed to stop objects between one and 10 centimeters (0.4 to 4 inches) in diameter, which could puncture holes in the hull of the ISS. If a clean up system is not put in place soon, NASA scientists say there is a one in 10 chance an object will damage the ISS during the next 10 years. The increased amount of space junk has become a problem for the ISS and for other space missions. The station is equipped to deal with items smaller than one centimeter, while controllers on the ground can spot anything larger than ten centimeters and give the crew advance warning. But intermediate objects could cause significant damage. “The resu
