Space Junk

[Channel Hopper]

Ooops

Myanmar debris: 'Mystery object lands at jade mine' - BBC News

 

[william-1]

Space Junk Explained: How Orbital Debris Threatens Future of Spaceflight (Infographic)

NASA Space Junk Map - Pics about space

Space junk cleanup mission prepares for launch

 

[Terryl]

Retrieving and recycling space junk looks to be the next "Fred Sanford" type of business, no telling on how much gold, platinum and other valuable stuff is out there just waiting to be picked up and recycled.

However some space recycling laws may need to be put down or someone could start a war if the other guys what looks to be junk spy satellite was picked up as space junk.

I could see this as a robotic mission as some of this stuff is out of the normal manned mission orbital guide lines, the furthest we have been in orbit around Earth with a manned mission is about 350 miles, this to service the Hubble.

There are tons of old dead or dying satellites out in the 22500 mile Clark Belt parked in graveyard orbits, most are out of maneuvering fuel to move them into a decaying orbit to burn up, these would make for some nice recycled parts.

However the price of these parts must cover and exceed the cost of the launch of any recycling mission or it's a dead deal.

Anyone with some ideas on startup capital??

 

[Analoguesat]

Many of the defunct satellites are also passivated at end of life (tanks discharged & batteries shorted out) so the risk of accidental explosions is reduced. Thus they are completely dead so couldnt be maneuvered for a re-entry anyway.

 

[Channel Hopper]

All it requires is a large enough mass (with directional ability) to travel in the near vicinity of the most dangerous objects, pull them into 'orbit' (or take on board) , then process/dismantle and send downwards to burn up.

Apart from the precious metal retrieval, and hazardous material separation, current technology wont allow for recycling of the majority of materials, but in the future it should be possible to 'print' parts from detritus autonomously, creating useful stuff that has already had the expense of earlier launch costs.

Not forgetting the much earlier series, Salvage 1

Hints of fracking there

(but possibly forgetting Quark, though it did win an award for costumes)

 

[Channel Hopper]

And the Japanese go first with a special net and tether

Japan tests innovative magnetic tether for slowing space junk - BBC News

 

[skomedal]

Job for Fred Dibnah ( sadly missed ) and his steam traction machine


Slowly gleaning the heavens ( 3 million years ) towing a trawler net after foresaid machine for our space junk

Tongue in cheek reply

 

[Channel Hopper]

Nothing wrong with tongues in the right places

 

[william-1]

Mission to demonstrate space junk tech

The 100kg-class demonstrator is due to ride to orbit on Monday aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Lift-off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US, is timed for 16:30 local time (21:30 BST).

Watch the launch live on Reuters TV News SES-4 @ 22 west 11126 H 17250

 

[william-1]

Dragon Launch

 

[william-1]

Seperation completed

 

[Channel Hopper]