Can you solve the space debris problem by adding the module to self-destruct?
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People know how to launch stuff into space — but not really bring them back. In low earth orbit, along with thousands of working satellites, there is a lot of debris: space debris, space debris, debris in higher orbits. According to the European space Agency, in the sky above us is about 29 000 pieces of debris over 10 cm, 750 000 — 1 to 10 inches, and 166 million from 1 millimeter to 1 centimeter.
But there are many more small things. Previously, NASA has studied these details in small craters that they leave on the space Shuttle, if the acne scars. But since 2011, the space shuttles no longer fly. So last month, to return to this task, NASA has established a new 300-pound instrument on the space station: Space Debris Sensor. The object area in square meter is one task: to take the blows. They, in turn, tell scientists about the origin of the debris and help them to do extrapolation on larger, more dangerous debris.
There are other projects that try to solve the problem, not just measure it — and the world is full of ideas for reducing astronomical waste. For example, you can make new companions after a certain time from orbit, garronite old and collect them in giant nets or meshing to the sail.
One of the companies called D-Orbit has recently experienced a new way to get rid of garbage: a kind of plug-in engine that takes any satellite, which is attached to the heat death in the atmosphere. In June was launched a test satellite with a "system decommissioned", D3, and this fall it completed its journey — the first test was successful.
The company's Founder Luca Rossettini is serious about space debris. "The space is a lot of garbage," he says. "Let's be more specific: not "all space", and the part that we use for satellites. This space is limited and very valuable, but we have already messed him up." Rossettini hopes that its customers will ever be able to attach D3 as LEGO to his own space ship, and then — voila — to ensure that when satellites reach the end of useful service life, they will be destroyed.
When the D-Orbit wanted to test its flagship system, the company tried to convince other companies to install it on their satellites. Despite the fact that the D-Orbit has offered to do it free, not yet proven technology proved difficult to convince to take. Therefore, Rossettini, working on small satellites at the Research center at NASA Ames, together with the company Planet, which is Earth imagery, decided that D-Orbit own satellite.
In June, D-Orbit has launched the D-Sat Is a CubeSat with the device of death D3 on Board. D-Sat circled around the Earth for about three months, conducted several experiments. And then, at the end of his short life, people from D-Orbit was ready to bring D3 into action.
"we knew We were setting ourselves a big challenge, especially with a big engine on such a tiny companion," says Rossettini. "But D3 was supposed to work." That fall, on the day appointed, Rossettini sat in the control room, put his finger on the big red button. Before you run D3, he was instructed to spin the satellite up to 700 rpm to stabilize it. Then Rossettini clicked "die". D3 went into action. "Everything worked as it should, but something happened."
The Satellite entered a death spiral. Although D-Orbit still finishes the post-flight analysis, Rossettini said that the team found out what the problem is: D3, due to human error, were not exactly aligned with the center of gravity of the satellite. A few millimeters of deviation meant that the thrust of D3 partially spun the satellite instead of just push it.
"the Good news is that the D3 work as expected," says Rossettini, even if his work did not produce the expected results.
Despite the questionable result, Rossettini says the company received more requests from mysterious clients to attach D3 to future satellites. D-Orbit talks with an unnamed potential customers in Europe, USA and the middle East. The company also has a contract with the European Commission on the creation of the first system decommissioning for medium and large satellites as well as with Airbus. "Airbus creates a platform for testing different technologies of passive decommissioning," says Rossettini, "and our D3 can put an end to all sorts of experiments on this platform."
Currently, D-Orbit is working only to put D3 on the still not launched satellites. But in the future, with the help of partners, the company hopes to put the power system already running satellites to give them the opportunity to die. Perhaps D3 will be able to solve the problem of space debris at least in part.
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