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| Image Source: Figure 3 Debris engine, see link below |
I am always glad when good science is proposed and achieved. This is mostly a thorough application of Kepler and Newtonian physics as well as engineering rocketry. I give the poignant observation with some exception, this is happening LESS in the country of my birth, currently known for carnival barkers and xenophobes as presidential front runners, and some of my fellow citizens thinking "The Flintstones" instead of a parody of "The Honeymooners" was a documentary.
TECHNOLOGY REVIEW: At 16:56 UTC on August 29, 2009, an Iridium communications satellite suddenly fell silent. In the hours that followed, the U.S. Space Surveillance Network reported that it was tracking two large clouds of debris—one from the Iridium and another from a defunct Russian military satellite called Cosmos 2251.
The debris was the result of a high-speed collision, the first time this is known to have happened between orbiting satellites. The impact created over 1,000 fragments greater than 10 centimeters in size and a much larger number of smaller pieces. This debris spread out around the planet in a deadly cloud.
Space debris is a pressing problem for Earth-orbiting spacecraft, and it could get significantly worse. When the density of space debris reaches a certain threshold, analysts predict that the fragmentation caused by collisions will trigger a runaway chain reaction that will fill the skies with ever increasing numbers of fragments. By some estimates that process could already be underway.
An obvious solution is to find a way to remove this debris. One option is to zap the larger pieces with a laser, vaporizing them in parts and causing the leftovers to deorbit. However, smaller pieces of debris cannot be dealt with in this way because they are difficult to locate and track.
Another option is send up a spacecraft capable of mopping up debris with a net or some other capture process. But these missions are severely limited by the amount of fuel they can carry.
Today, Lei Lan and pals from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, propose a different solution. Their idea is to build an engine that converts space debris into propellant and so can maneuver itself almost indefinitely as it mops up the junk.
Physics arXiv: Debris Engine: A Potential Thruster for Space Debris Removal
Lei Lan, Jingyang Li, Hexi Baoyin
#P4TC WALL-E mentions:
Predicted, but still kind of gross when you think of it...
NASA Going Green...
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