A photo from open sources
Space debris can pose a real threat to the Earth (illustration by NASA, Wikimedia Commons).
The problem of space debris surrounding our planet, It becomes more and more relevant every day. Objects soaring above the Earth in a low orbit, may fall on its surface with sad consequences for people. To prevent this from happening, scientists suggest using static electricity to to bring space debris first to a higher orbit, and then push it into outer space. The idea is based on operating principles of the so-called electrostatic forces, which occur when electrons accumulate around an object. The bombardment of a piece of space debris by electrons will inform him a weak negative charge of a couple of tens of kilovolts is approximately equal to the voltage that occurs in the candle car ignition. Then a positively charged drone the spacecraft will be able to tow the waste with something like “attracting ray.” Urgent need to get rid of space debris arose unknowingly. In the era of the first space travel people thought that the area around the earth could absorb an almost unlimited amount of waste. therefore all decommissioned satellites, used rocket stages and other fairly large objects engineers with a clear conscience left in space. As a result, the world is approaching a syndrome Kessler – the moment the space debris surrounding us makes Near space is practically unsuitable for exploration. Methodology use static electricity to dispose of waste not applicable to all objects surrounding the Earth. Designed by it is mainly for the garbage that is on geostationary orbit, that is, 36 thousand kilometers above the surface of the planet. There are about 1200 large objects, only a third of which works for the benefit of mankind. “The trouble is that most of these objects are constantly spinning around its axis. If any other object approaches them, then it can split into pieces and get even more garbage, “- explains aerospace engineer and author of the new Hanspeter technique Schaub (Hanspeter Schaub) from the University of Colorado. Unlike most space debris mitigation methods involving physical contact (hit them with something like a harpoon, capture special lasso or mesh), Schaub’s technology is non-contact. For operations in space will launch a special device GLiDer (detailed information about it can be found in this PDF-document), which will shoot a beam of electrons at large ready for recycling facilities. Thus a piece of garbage will get weak electrostatic charge, while the GLiDer will acquire weak positive charge. Since the opposite charges attracted to each other, the object will follow the apparatus as if in tow. The distance between the bodies will be from 15 to 25 meters. The forces involved will not be too powerful, therefore pieces of space debris will slowly pick up speed. By scientists, only in two or three months the speed will be sufficient to move objects to a higher orbit and their further release.
A photo from open sources
The incandescent solar plasma is present in the entire solar system (illustrated by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / Flickr). When the electron beam is turned off, debris will begin to accumulate ions and other charged particles from the environment with aim to achieve a neutral state. Then it will be possible unhook from an invisible tugboat and throw into outer space. So In this way, the GLiDer will be able to display three objects from orbit in year, which means to remove 1200 pieces of space debris it will take a lot of time. As we have already mentioned, this the technology is exclusively designed to remove garbage from geostationary orbit. But what to do with objects at low near-Earth orbit, which are also many, is not yet clear. The unsuitability of the Schaub technique is explained by some natural phenomena. The sun releases a charged plasma that scatters throughout the solar system. In geostationary orbit it is more total, there it is scattered and has a relatively high temperature. Plasma in low Earth orbit is under the impact of the ionosphere of our planet, because of what it becomes denser and colder. Here, closer to Earth, everything that gets a charge, very quickly accumulates particles with the opposite charge and again gains a neutral state. That is about towing with static electricity such debris is out of the question. Understanding these shortcomings, Schaub suggests not completely giving up from contact methods for removing garbage into outer space. ABOUT the technique developed by him can be read in an article published in Advances in Space Research.
NASA Solar System
