Clean Space One - Swiss plan a 'janitor' satellite to sweep up space junk

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2012/02/post-1.html

Swiss scientists plan to launch a shoebox-sized satellite with jellyfish-like tentacles to sweep up space junk as early as 2016.

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NASA estimates that more than 6000 tonnes of space junk zip around the planet at speeds of about 28,000 kilometres per hour.

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Some scientists fear that the space junk problem is reaching a critical tipping point, where the amount of debris is growing faster than individual pieces can fall out of the sky. Scientists have suggested several novel ways to cope, including a net that could guide debris downward to its destruction, or equipping future satellites with solar sails so they can de-orbit themselves when their working lives are over.
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Once it has caught up with its quarry, CleanSpace One will deploy grippers inspired by jellyfish or sea anemones to embrace the spinning target. Then it will power its engines to steer itself on a suicide dive into Earth's atmosphere.

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Legal issues about who owns space junk makes it difficult for one nation's space agency to clean up another nation's trash, so for now, CleanSpace One's only available targets are also Swiss.

anyone know the average delta v / mass between space junk ?

ThatDrGuy

Im must confess Im more interested in how much junk Switzerland has managed to put into space ? Is there a cuckooclock version of GPS ?

shedweller

I think its safe to say there's a huge delta V with orbiting bodies!
I had an idea recently re; this. How about deploying a satellite in the opposite direction to a given area of debris. Then vent a cloud of gas, something that will have reasonable density. This cloud of gas will slow oncoming debris and speed up its deorbit. Works in theory! No moving parts in the catching mechamism either, which is going to be a major stumbling block in this field.

Capt'n Midnight

shedweller wrote: »

I think its safe to say there's a huge delta V with orbiting bodies!
I had an idea recently re; this. How about deploying a satellite in the opposite direction to a given area of debris

The Israelis launched westward towards the med. Work out the 1/2mv2 kenetic energy of a collision with that :eek:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome

The Kessler syndrome (also called the Kessler effect,[1][2] collisional cascading or ablation cascade), proposed by NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler in 1978, is a scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) is high enough that collisions between objects could cause a cascade – each collision generating debris which increases the likelihood of further collisions.[3] One implication is that the distribution of debris in orbit could render space exploration, and even the use of satellites, unfeasible for many generations.[3]

Rubecula

Ye gods. Two satelites weighing in at say 3 tons each travelling in opposite directions at 17,000 mph.

No I am not going to work out the kinetic energy of that coming together. But it is a little bit more than you can do with a hand clap.

Capt'n Midnight

Rubecula wrote: »

Ye gods. Two satelites weighing in at say 3 tons each travelling in opposite directions at 17,000 mph.

that's a closing speed of 34,000mpm , about 10 miles per second

PseudoFamous

Please scientists, name it Wall-e, please please please.

cocoshovel

It will be like that show Planetes. Awesome

jumpjack

shedweller wrote: »

I think its safe to say there's a huge delta V with orbiting bodies!
I had an idea recently re; this. How about deploying a satellite in the opposite direction to a given area of debris. Then vent a cloud of gas, something that will have reasonable density. This cloud of gas will slow oncoming debris and speed up its deorbit. Works in theory! No moving parts in the catching mechamism either, which is going to be a major stumbling block in this field.

You must consider the m1*v1=m2*v2 equation; to slow down "enough" (?) a 1000 kg mass, how many kg of gas would you need?

PseudoFamous

jumpjack wrote: »

You must consider the m1*v1=m2*v2 equation; to slow down "enough" (?) a 1000 kg mass, how many kg of gas would you need?

an incredible amount, to say the least. Things up there can be pretty zippy, and I can't imagine even 100m^3 of a gas making a significant difference before dissipating into nothingness

shedweller

PseudoFamous wrote: »

an incredible amount, to say the least. Things up there can be pretty zippy, and I can't imagine even 100m^3 of a gas making a significant difference before dissipating into nothingness

True. I suppose my thinking was to remove the smaller, more numerous, bits at least.
They would be most affected by the gas.
I must add that i am completely incapable of running the figures on this!
It was just an idea that popped into my head!