Development of A Ballistic Orbital Debris Removal System
Submitted by: James E. Hollopeter
Director, Technology Development
GIT Satellite Communications
A graphic from the European Space Agency shows how space debris is spread around the planet and at different heights. Large amounts of debris can especially be found at 800, 1,000 and 1,500 kilometers above sea level. There are an estimated 17,000 objects being tracked in Earth’s orbit.
Space is filling up with trash, and it’s time to clean it up, NASA experts warn. A growing amount of human-made debris—from rocket stages and obsolete satellites to blown-off hatches and insulation—is circling the Earth. Scientists say the orbital debris, better known as space junk, poses an increasing threat to space activities, including robotic missions and human space flight.
“This is a growing environmental problem,” said Nicholas Johnson, the chief scientist and program manager for orbital debris at NASA in Houston, Texas. Johnson and his team have devised a computer model capable of simulating past and future amounts of space junk. The model predicts that even without future rocket or satellite launches, the amount of debris in low orbit around Earth will remain steady through 2055, after which it will increase. While current efforts have focused on limiting future space junk, the scientists say removing large pieces of old space junk will soon be necessary. (more…)
What Can the World Do About Space Debris? An Urgent Call to Action
Over the past decade and a half, the world's major space agencies have been developing a set of orbital debris mitigation guidelines aimed at stemming the creation of new space debris and lessening the impact of existing debris on satellites and human spaceflight. (ESA)
Now is the time to reduce the threat to both human spaceflight and satellites from destructive space debris.
That viewpoint emerged from a major gathering of space experts at the International Interdisciplinary Congress on Space Debris, held May 7-9 at the Faculty of Law, McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
The Congress brought together legal, policy, and technical experts from around the globe, including the U.S., Russia, India, China, Canada, and Europe – a unique gathering of officials to thrash out legal, and technical ideas for the next phase of dealing with the space debris issue. (more…)
Satellite Collisions - Space Traffic Control System Needed
The February 10 collision of the two satellites resulted in the generation of space junk that now circles Earth and threatens spacecraft from a host of nations. A proposal has been made during the 46th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) for a space traffic control system. (NASA)
The recent collision of a U.S.-operated Iridium satellite and a Russian spacecraft has spotlighted the need for an International Civil Space Situational Awareness system.
The concept was proposed February 17 in Vienna, Austria during the 46th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Brian Weeden, Technical Consultant for Secure World Foundation (SWF), noted the February 10 collision of the two satellites resulted in the generation of space junk that now circles Earth and threatens spacecraft from a host of nations.
“This collision is yet another example of the potential fragility of Earth orbit and the need for increased awareness,” Weeden told the subcommittee.
Root Cause of Last Week’s Collision
Weeden used the example of driving a car with the windows blacked out. Even with a GPS device to display the car’s position on the road and not having information available about the locations or actions of other cars. (more…)
Tracking Space Debris Requires Special Computational Methods
Robert Plemmons, Wake Forest University professor of computer science and mathematics, has developed computational methods scientists are using to identify and track objects in space. (WFU/Ken Bennett)
The challenge of getting a clear image of objects in space in order to identify them and understand what they are there for has been a lifelong interest for Robert Plemmons, Z. Smith Reynolds Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Wake Forest University. Plemmons has been working on the challenge of identifying objects in space since 1983 with funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. One big challenge, he says, is getting a clear image of the space object through the turbulence of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Two large satellites collided in Earth’s orbit on Feb. 10, leaving trails of debris in space that may threaten other satellites and the Hubble Space Telescope. Specialists at the Maui Air Force Space Surveillance Center are monitoring the clouds of debris in order to identify the pieces and project their path. (more…)
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