Tonka
Well-known member
Source:
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/45405
Laser beam could nudge space junk away
Mar 17, 2011
It's a junkyard out there
Satellites in orbit around the Earth are at risk of collision with space-based objects, which have either been discarded by space missions or created in satellite collisions. But now a team of researchers at NASA believes it may have found a relatively cheap solution for dealing with this "space junk" ? aim a medium-powered laser into space and nudge any objects on a collision course out of harm's way.
Earth is surrounded by thousands of discarded man-made objects, from spent rocket stages to flecks of paint. Even very small items pose a danger to working satellites because they travel at tens of thousands of kilometres an hour. In 2009 the threat to satellites hit the headlines when a defunct Russian satellite destroyed an Iridium telecommunications satellite ? creating even more junk...more from the source.
http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/45405
Laser beam could nudge space junk away
Mar 17, 2011
It's a junkyard out there
Satellites in orbit around the Earth are at risk of collision with space-based objects, which have either been discarded by space missions or created in satellite collisions. But now a team of researchers at NASA believes it may have found a relatively cheap solution for dealing with this "space junk" ? aim a medium-powered laser into space and nudge any objects on a collision course out of harm's way.
Earth is surrounded by thousands of discarded man-made objects, from spent rocket stages to flecks of paint. Even very small items pose a danger to working satellites because they travel at tens of thousands of kilometres an hour. In 2009 the threat to satellites hit the headlines when a defunct Russian satellite destroyed an Iridium telecommunications satellite ? creating even more junk...more from the source.