News RemoveDEBRIS Mission - Successfully Harpoons Space Junk

[NoLifeLine]

RemoveDEBRIS, a small satellite mission designed to test space debris removal technologies, successfully completed a harpoon test firing on 8th February 2019.

This video shows the test in both real-time and in slow motion.

 

[fred18]

I think that this kind of techniques could be quite dangerous: if the harpoon hits a solar panel destroying it in thousand small pieces it would be a much more dangerous issue than the satellite all in one piece. It is something to work on for sure but i don t think that anything so "violent" could be a solution. I could be totally wrong of course it s just my feeling

 

[Donamy]

How about a really sticky flypaper, to work like a suction cup.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

How about a really sticky flypaper, to work like a suction cup.

What about one of those sticky hands from a toy vending machine? It'd be cheap, and would probably grab anything.

 

[jedidia]

to work like a suction cup.

Would have to be *really* sticky, since suction won't help you much in a vacuum...
In any case, cool stuff. Space Whale Ho! Thar she blows! :loL:

 

[GLS]

I think that this kind of techniques could be quite dangerous: if the harpoon hits a solar panel destroying it in thousand small pieces it would be a much more dangerous issue than the satellite all in one piece. It is something to work on for sure but i don t think that anything so "violent" could be a solution. I could be totally wrong of course it s just my feeling

Yes, small pieces can't easily be tracked so they can be very dangerous, but if the debris have a low ballistic coefficient then they will decay fast. If not... :shifty:

 

[Donamy]

You could call it the Chameleon.

---------- Post added at 09:46 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:56 PM ----------

The tiny water bacterium Caulobacter crescentus secretes a sugary substance so sticky that just a tiny bit could withstand the pull from lifting several cars at once. With an adhesive force of nearly five tons per square inch, this "glue" is one of nature's strongest.

 

[cannon_gray]

A slightly different cleaning technology is being tested in Japan. The Japanese State Aerospace Exploration Agency is working to create a satellite that destroys space debris by burning it with a laser beam. Maybe this way will be much safer.

 

[N_Molson]

Really an interesting initiative, might not be the "best" way to do it but remember, there's a whole field of engineering to investigate there. I must say I like the "glue" idea, but I guess having a glue that stays adhesive enough when exposed to vacuum and solar radiations is not that easy. Applying a tiny but steady pressure with a laser beam seems promising too, especially if it can be done from the ground (maybe building the "cannon" atop a mountain would help a little bit ?).

 

[Sbb1413]

Using laser to clear debris is good for quicker removal of debris, but not a good idea in terms of foreign relations. Laser will destroy not only the target debris but also an active satellite, which is bad in terms of foreign relations.

We should use other methods to clean debris, while maintaining foreign relations.