Space Sail Experiment Showcases Promising Technique for Quickly Disposing Space Junk

There’s a lot of junk orbiting our planet, from tiny flecks of paint to defunct rocket stages. While solutions to remove pre-existing debris have been developed, a private space company in Germany has successfully tested a method to deorbit satellites at the end of their life to prevent them from becoming space debris in the first place.

more…

In the future if all satellites had this, its problem solved.

Getting rid of the existing debris is the the current problem.

Space drones could attach magnetic miniature sails to the smaller debris objects.

Tau.Neutrino said:

Space Sail Experiment Showcases Promising Technique for Quickly Disposing Space Junk

There’s a lot of junk orbiting our planet, from tiny flecks of paint to defunct rocket stages. While solutions to remove pre-existing debris have been developed, a private space company in Germany has successfully tested a method to deorbit satellites at the end of their life to prevent them from becoming space debris in the first place.

more…

In the future if all satellites had this, its problem solved.

Getting rid of the existing debris is the the current problem.

Space drones could attach magnetic miniature sails to the smaller debris objects.

Rocket casings could have one built in as well.

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Space Sail Experiment Showcases Promising Technique for Quickly Disposing Space Junk

There’s a lot of junk orbiting our planet, from tiny flecks of paint to defunct rocket stages. While solutions to remove pre-existing debris have been developed, a private space company in Germany has successfully tested a method to deorbit satellites at the end of their life to prevent them from becoming space debris in the first place.

more…

In the future if all satellites had this, its problem solved.

Getting rid of the existing debris is the the current problem.

Space drones could attach magnetic miniature sails to the smaller debris objects.

Rocket casings could have one built in as well.

Understanding the debris field would be good.

Place drones just above the debris field.

They sit there waiting for the debris to come around, then when one is close enough gently shoot a ADEO device at at.

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Space Sail Experiment Showcases Promising Technique for Quickly Disposing Space Junk

There’s a lot of junk orbiting our planet, from tiny flecks of paint to defunct rocket stages. While solutions to remove pre-existing debris have been developed, a private space company in Germany has successfully tested a method to deorbit satellites at the end of their life to prevent them from becoming space debris in the first place.

more…

In the future if all satellites had this, its problem solved.

Getting rid of the existing debris is the the current problem.

Space drones could attach magnetic miniature sails to the smaller debris objects.

Rocket casings could have one built in as well.

Understanding the debris field would be good.

Place drones just above the debris field.

They sit there waiting for the debris to come around, then when one is close enough gently shoot a ADEO device at at.

27,000 solar sails of various sizes

Maybe do a couple of hundred at a time maybe more ?

They could hitch a ride on other space missions which would be deliver them to the space drones, which would wait to deploy them.

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Tau.Neutrino said:

Rocket casings could have one built in as well.

Understanding the debris field would be good.

Place drones just above the debris field.

They sit there waiting for the debris to come around, then when one is close enough gently shoot a ADEO device at it.

27,000 solar sails of various sizes

Maybe do a couple of hundred at a time maybe more ?

They could hitch a ride on other space missions which would be deliver them to the space drones, which would wait to deploy them.

A computer program could work out the most efficient way of delivering the solar sails to the debris drones using other space missions.

Another computer program could work out the most efficient way of directing the debris drones when to deploy the ADEO devices.

Something like that.

Build big cubeships in orbit that are made from plastic ( HDPE)

Presumably they will be big enough to naturally get struck by debris. The debris gets buried and captured in the plastic

Id like to see better use made of newer satellites so that are more modular and reusable in the future, and painted in a standard colour to reduce sun glare for astronomy.

Reusable solar panels.
Reusable storage box for equipment.
Reusable cooling tanks etc.

Then just hot swap things in space with automated modular systems.

The net system for catching space junk is not nearly as effective as was initially thought. Because of material properties and orbital dynamics.

You have to catch space junk first in order to attach a solar sail.

Is the space sail idea planned for LEO or Geosynchronous?

mollwollfumble said:

The net system for catching space junk is not nearly as effective as was initially thought. Because of material properties and orbital dynamics.

You have to catch space junk first in order to attach a solar sail.

Is the space sail idea planned for LEO or Geosynchronous?

Is the solar sail to propel them out of Earth orbit or catch them inside the net and take it wherever