Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

dnhs47 t1_jd0ner5 wrote

A (small) cubesat that carries several small (packed) sails like this that can be attached to existing space debris would be very useful.

Some investment in cleaning up space is warranted. I grew up in the 1960s, watching the US response to Sputnik, then going to the moon. All kinds of junk was left in space from the first several decades with no consideration of deorbiting. Just as we used to think we could dump an infinite amount of junk in the sea and atmosphere and it would never matter. Oops.

24

Mackie_Macheath t1_jd2lbb7 wrote

But connecting those chutes to old satellites/existing space debris can be a huge challenge. It's already challenging when both units are under full control and can communicate with each other. When the rogue object is moving without control it can be rotating in any direction.

6

NinjaMoreLikeANonja t1_jd590gl wrote

100% correct. Think about it like this- two objects are in orbit around the Earth, each moving at 17,000+ miles per hour depending on how high the orbit is, and those two objects must touch. In the worst case velocity scenario, the two objects are counter-rotating in the same orbit so closing speed is 34,000+ mph. In the worst case positioning scenario, one object is orbiting along the Equator, and the other is orbiting over the Poles. The two satellites must hit one another- without destroying either satellite- at one particular point in space. Not. Gonna. Happen. The amount of propellant required to make that kind of shift would be greater than the mass of both satellites combined. Cool in theory, and maybe possible one day if there are a shitload of janitor satellites up in a bunch of orbits around the Earth, but extraordinarily hard to do in practice.

2