Data from Space-Track.org allowed Corby-based electronic company RS Components to analyse just how many bits of debris are currently orbiting Earth and which country they belong to.
Maybe, but don’t shoot yourselves in the foot – satellites are finding polluters more than they are adding to it, according to most sources including this in the WSJ.
Who Are the World’s Biggest Climate Polluters? Satellites Sweep for Culprits
Governments are turning to the technology to expose hidden sources of greenhouse-gas emissions and monitor compliance with global pacts—as well as to point fingers at each other.
Spaceship Neptune isn’t powered by rockets but is lifted 30 kilometers above the Earth by a gigantic balloon, big enough to fit a whole football stadium inside.
Answer (1 of 5): Don’t know about the 5 years to deorbit, but it doesn’t seem to be very controversial. Maybe somebody genuinely science-y can address that, but… Is it cost effective? That’s a pretty good question, I think. And a nice candidate for very rough back of the envelope testing. So... Read more
Iridium Communications completed disposal of the last of its 65 working legacy satellites Dec. 28, while leaving open the possibility of paying an active-debris-removal company to deorbit 30 that failed in the decades since the operator deployed its first-generation constellation.
In the 1980s, NASA engineer Robert Farquhar came up with a sly plan to divert the ISEE-3 satellite from its original path to visit a comet instead. Now Farquhar has another big plan for his “baby.”
Nice, but another comment on that subject led me to ponder if the streets would only be cleaned in certain areas that could afford them. Like gated communities using money to avoid mixing with the rabble.
Keith’s Note: NASA is increasingly engaged in understanding the threats posed by collision of human-made objects in Earth orbit as well as naturally occurring threats posed by asteroids – as is evidenced by news in last week. More on DART and orbital debris below. NASA Funds Projects to Study Or... Read more
One day huge space stations will be thrown away and disowned, like countless enormous ships and tankers dupped around the world. Time, my friends, time is all we need.
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of scientists led by NASA space scientist James Mason have proposed the idea of using a mid-powered laser and telescope to nudge pieces of space junk out of the way and slow it down to avoid collisions.
China’s space broom isn’t the Death Star super laser. It’s an orbiting satellite with a laser only powerful enough to heat up pieces of space junk, so that they change course burn up in the atmosphere.Depositphotos
China is developing technology for 'satellite inspection and repair' and debris clean-up - 'at least some of which could also function' as weapons against US satellites, a Pentagon report says.
Space debris from India's anti-satellite weapons test is still in orbit around Earth.
The National Aeronautics and Space Research Organisation (NASA) is
“The helicon plasma thruster is an electrodeless system, which allows it to undertake long operations performed at a high power level.” says Takahashi, “This discovery is considerably different to existing solutions and will make a substantial contribution to future sustainable human activity in space.”
A New Solution to the Space Junk Problem. Spacecraft with Plasma Beams to Force Space Junk to Burn Up - Universe Today
The International Space Station deployed this small satellite for the NanoRacks-Remove Debris investigation, designed to demonstrate an approach to reduce the risks presented by orbital debris or "space junk."
You know like death the inevitable solution will be, wait for it… – Space Tax
In a recent study, economists proposed a Pigovian tax that would discourage the excessive launch of satellites and use money from the tax of satellites that are launched to pay for the removal of space debris.
recommended read “There are many possible means of reducing the debris hazard to future space operations. These include actions taken as a spacecraft enters orbit (e.g., tethering rather than jettisoning lens caps and despin devices), during operations (e.g., reducing the amount of refuse ejected from crewed missions), and after its functional lifetime (e.g., depleting energy sources or moving the spacecraft into a disposal orbit). Some methods would cost very little, whereas others might be economically prohibitive for some missions. Their effectiveness also will vary, not only from method to method but also in how well a particular method will work in different orbital regions and with different space systems.”
Read “Orbital Debris: A Technical Assessment” at NAP.edu
Read chapter 7 TECHNIQUES TO REDUCE THE FUTURE DEBRIS HAZARD: Since the beginning of space flight, the collision hazard in Earth orbit has increased as ...
Space junk from a new Chinese rocket narrowly missed dropping down on New York City Monday night, according to a report, largely burning up in the atmosphere before some of the debris survived long enough to slam into West Africa.
Hundreds of thousands of man-made objects are zipping around our planet—from dead satellites to errant nuts and bolts, putting our working satellites at risk.
serious solutions are what’s needed. and soon, because if we don’t get ourselves off this stinking ball because of the crap we spread around us, we will deserve to die quickly alone, like most other life forms out there did, probably.
We have a space debris problem. Here’s how to solve it
More than half-a-million pieces of space junk orbit the Earth, and the threat this debris poses to critical satellite infrastructure and future missions is growing.
There are more than 100 million pieces of human-made debris whizzing around the planet. How do we clean it up to keep Earth orbit safe for our satellites and spacecraft?
The UK’s Daily (hate) Mail reports that the US has just, ahem, 2 pieces more junk in space as the Russians. Go figure.
Maybe, but don’t shoot yourselves in the foot – satellites are finding polluters more than they are adding to it, according to most sources including this in the WSJ.
Carbon Neutral AND Spacejunk Neutral would be a fine standard for others to follow, early days guys. Read this https://www.weforum.org/videos/this-carbon-neutral-spaceship-could-take-you-to-the-edge-of-space
True, as reliable as an Elon “5 years” you think?
There’s gold in them there orbits…
This could be your man… “More than 30 years ago, Robert Farquhar stole a spacecraft. Now he’s trying to give it back.”
Nice, but another comment on that subject led me to ponder if the streets would only be cleaned in certain areas that could afford them. Like gated communities using money to avoid mixing with the rabble.
One day huge space stations will be thrown away and disowned, like countless enormous ships and tankers dupped around the world. Time, my friends, time is all we need.
Lasers in space don’t inspire confidence when they can be used as weapons against other countries’ satellites or spacecraft.
Several space agencies, including NASA, are already researching the use of lasers to vaporize space debris.
https://phys.org/news/2011-03-nasa-laser-space-junk.html
Very soon, space will become as polluted as our oceans, the only difference being that space debris is more lethal when it starts falling to earth.
China’s space broom isn’t the Death Star super laser. It’s an orbiting satellite with a laser only powerful enough to heat up pieces of space junk, so that they change course burn up in the atmosphere.Depositphotos
floating crafts, harpoons and nets. Sounds a bit of a low tech solution – more like a fishing trip than escaping our world.
Heh, you would still need a space broom to clean up the stray silly string.
last year i read that india was likely to compete with china for being the biggest litterbugs in the solar system. They’ve had plenty of practice.
I guess the Chinese aren’t using silly string then.
Now its a count up for who is the worst space criminal (organization).
“The helicon plasma thruster is an electrodeless system, which allows it to undertake long operations performed at a high power level.” says Takahashi, “This discovery is considerably different to existing solutions and will make a substantial contribution to future sustainable human activity in space.”
People are working on a variety of solutions, but someone needs to stop the culprits making it worse now.
You know like death the inevitable solution will be, wait for it… – Space Tax
In a recent study, economists proposed a Pigovian tax that would discourage the excessive launch of satellites and use money from the tax of satellites that are launched to pay for the removal of space debris.
recommended read “There are many possible means of reducing the debris hazard to future space operations. These include actions taken as a spacecraft enters orbit (e.g., tethering rather than jettisoning lens caps and despin devices), during operations (e.g., reducing the amount of refuse ejected from crewed missions), and after its functional lifetime (e.g., depleting energy sources or moving the spacecraft into a disposal orbit). Some methods would cost very little, whereas others might be economically prohibitive for some missions. Their effectiveness also will vary, not only from method to method but also in how well a particular method will work in different orbital regions and with different space systems.”
Any space junk deniers our there?
Not sure how true some of this is about space junk. who knows the truth? and who tells it?
gonna keep getting worse. glad people are talking about it though.
serious solutions are what’s needed. and soon, because if we don’t get ourselves off this stinking ball because of the crap we spread around us, we will deserve to die quickly alone, like most other life forms out there did, probably.
Or use a net, a claw, grab it, laser it and urr.yep, sillystring