Space debris

[Cochonrambo31]

at school i had a 2 hours conference about space debris.

What can we do against them actually?

[xenomorph555]

One thing to do is ban everyone launching rockets, EVERYONE. Keep the ban for 10 years and it should be better.

Another thing to do is ban a-sat weapons for everyone (don't try and get out of this america).

Another is special robots that launch with the mission to collect certain large debris.

[Dkmdlb]

What kind of school do you go? (that would be amazing if it was an elementary school).

[xcorps]

(don't try and get out of this america).

Your treaties are useless against the hegemony. You may report to the pain chamber.

[Nikolai]

What can we do against them actually?

We can ablate the small pieces -- bits of paint and insulation and such -- with high-powered lasers. I volunteer to go man the orbital platform so equipped.

[Tex]

This is a topic that is constantly discussed by some of the top minds in the world. The answers usually come down to the same few ideas; whether it be going and scooping up the debris, blasting it away with high-powered lasers, or simply sitting and wait for it to come back down, which is incredibly dangerous.

In short, there is no best solution, as everything in space is very expensive.

[xcorps]

Rail guns.

The ship deployed version the Navy is working on can fire 10 shots a minute and hit a 5 meter target at 370 km. Muzzle velocity is 5800m/s. Ammo is only about $25,000 a shot.

[Tex]

Ah... but remember that the targets are moving in excess of Mach 11 in most cases.

[TechnicalK3rbal]

Rail guns.

The ship deployed version the Navy is working on can fire 10 shots a minute and hit a 5 meter target at 370 km. Muzzle velocity is 5800m/s. Ammo is only about $25,000 a shot.

This is adding more (&*^ to space though, not getting rid of it.

[xcorps]

Ah... but remember that the targets are moving in excess of Mach 11 in most cases.

Math for an intercept should be pretty easy for targeting computers.

This is adding more (&*^ to space though, not getting rid of it.

Uh, the impact is pretty devastating. Whatever debris remains would no longer be in LEO.

[Cochonrambo31]

i'm 14. In france it's my last year in collega, i'll be in high school next year.

[Albert VDS]

Ah... but remember that the targets are moving in excess of Mach 11 in most cases.

Don't forget though that the speed is relative to the cleaner satelite. So if it's in approximately the same orbit then the difference in speed wont be that high.

Edited May 15, 2014 by Albert VDS

[Sidoz11]

As long as we don't get a bad case of Kessler Syndrome (let's face it, it's inevitable at this rate) we still have time to develop techniques and methods to get rid of this orbiting junk. All we can do for now though is postpone the inevitable

[SargeRho]

The answer is, like always, Lazors. Use them to deorbit space debris from the ground.

[Soda Popinski]

Math for an intercept should be pretty easy for targeting computers.

Uh, the impact is pretty devastating. Whatever debris remains would no longer be in LEO.

So you'll end up with more debris in a higher orbit? They would be smaller, and impossible to track.

There's an Anime called Planetes that covers this. I watched a few episodes, but didn't get too far.

[Chiboko]

Rail guns.

The ship deployed version the Navy is working on can fire 10 shots a minute and hit a 5 meter target at 370 km. Muzzle velocity is 5800m/s. Ammo is only about $25,000 a shot.

Its kinda endearing that the US military can make rail gun bullets cost $25,000. Its an electromagnetically propelled projectile, all it needs is to have some ferrous content. You guys can make an amazing laser that can destroy light aircraft at a dollar a shot yet you somehow made a cannonball cost $25,000?

[xcorps]

There's an Anime called Planetes that covers this. I watched a few episodes, but didn't get too far

. Oh, Anime. That settles it.

Its kinda endearing that the US military can make rail gun bullets cost $25,000. Its an electromagnetically propelled projectile, all it needs is to have some ferrous content. You guys can make an amazing laser that can destroy light aircraft at a dollar a shot yet you somehow made a cannonball cost $25,000?

Call the Navy. I guess they'll be glad to hear that there's a cheaper way to do it.

[Chiboko]

There's probably a lot of factors I'm not taking into account. I'm pretty sure I once read that each shell had its own guidance system (I have no idea how a ballistic projectile can have a guidance system) to account for things like changes in wind direction. A lump of iron would be just as effective in terms of damage but nowhere near as accurate. Personally I prefer coil guns/cannons 'Gauss Rifles' its basically a giant solenoid (the thing that makes electric car windows move) that launches any ferrous objects you put in at a few thousand meters per second. Remember that scene in Pirates of the Caribbean where they fire cutlery out of the cannons? You can do that with a Gauss rifle.

[xcorps]

GPS and Inertial guidance. On board computers using control surfaces. The M712 Copperhead round uses that type of guidance to hit laser designated targets, although it's a rocket assist HE projectile. NOT the same ammunition the rail guns would use I'm guessing.

[TechnicalK3rbal]

Uh, the impact is pretty devastating. Whatever debris remains would no longer be in LEO.

Are we talking about LEO space junk, or just space junk in general? I'm pretty sure it's space junk in general.

[Brethern]

This is a topic that is constantly discussed by some of the top minds in the world. The answers usually come down to the same few ideas; whether it be going and scooping up the debris, blasting it away with high-powered lasers, or simply sitting and wait for it to come back down, which is incredibly dangerous.

In short, there is no best solution, as everything in space is very expensive.

I have a cheap and efficient way, we put a giant blob of slime in a polar orbit and then leave it there, any debris that hits it will either get stuck or be slowed enough to fall back to earth.

Eventually it's orbit will decay and it will fall to earth as well.

Being made of organic materials means that no matter where it lands it will decompose.

[Wadusher0]

I have a cheap and efficient way, we put a giant blob of slime in a polar orbit and then leave it there, any debris that hits it will either get stuck or be slowed enough to fall back to earth.

Eventually it's orbit will decay and it will fall to earth as well.

Being made of organic materials means that no matter where it lands it will decompose.

Just how big would this blob have to be to hit anything?

[Brethern]

Just how big would this blob have to be to hit anything?

Considering the fact that the space shuttle got hit by debris it wouldn't have to be too big. But to error on the side of caution lake it with the circumference of the ISS.

[theend3r]

Just how big would this blob have to be to hit anything?

That's no moon. It's a space blop!

[icemonkey]

Ah... but remember that the targets are moving in excess of Mach 11 in most cases.

Didn't the USA shoot down a defective satellite with a missile launched from a boat? If they managed that from a moving platform, I think a rail gun wouldn't be too hard to aim At that velocity things like wind and pressure changes in the atmosphere would have much less effect, so you'd really just need some clever maths calculation to create a trajectory, and boom.

EDIT:

Turns out this satellite was in a lower than normal orbit. Wikipedia says a normal satellite would have been out of range. But still. Rail guns are more... fun. And definitely more Kerbal.

Edited May 15, 2014 by icemonkey