Cleaning Up Space

Everyone I know seems to be thinking about reducing clutter these days.  Some company in my area markets that they will clear everything out of your house, and take care of dumping what needs to be dumped, recycling what can be recycled, selling what can be sold, and donating what can be donated.  Why didn’t […]

Everyone I know seems to be thinking about reducing clutter these days.  Some company in my area markets that they will clear everything out of your house, and take care of dumping what needs to be dumped, recycling what can be recycled, selling what can be sold, and donating what can be donated.  Why didn’t I think of that?  I would love doing that, and even better, getting paid for doing it.

But, what about junk and clutter which not in your house, or for that matter, not even on this earth.  It turns out, space junk, or space debris is a pretty serious problem.  Yamamoto Toru explains “This mounting volume of space debris could hit and damage satellites operating in space, so satellites are forced to avoid collisions as they operate and safe space activities are hindered. It is even possible that we could someday find it difficult to engage in any space activity whatsoever. This is why we need space debris control.”

Astroscale Japan Inc., a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc., is working with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) on a project called CDRS2 (Commercial Debris Removal Demonstration.)  There is a two-phased approach to CRD2.  Phase 1 of CDR2 involves demonstrating the ability to survey a target piece of space debris.  Later, Phase 2 will involve removing that piece of Space Debris from Space.  The docking, capture, and removal in Phase 2 can only happen after we gain sufficient knowledge of the satellite characteristics, which would occur during operations like those demonstrated in Phase 1.

Astroscale Japan successfully launched its Phase 1 Satellite, ADRAS-J ( Active Debris Removal by Astroscale-Japan) on February 18, 2024. 

Recently, Astroscale Japan released the following UPDATE for the ongoing mission…”After an excellent start to on-orbit operations, Astroscale Japan has begun the rendezvous operations phase of its ADRAS-J mission today, February 22 at approximately 11:00 am UTC. In this phase, the operations team based in Japan and the UK will use ADRAS-J’s propulsion system to start maneuvering towards the client orbit. This initial rendezvous phase requires careful planning of several orbit raising maneuvers to ensure accurate, precise and safe approach to the client.”  You can keep up with this mission at News & Resources – Astroscale, Securing Space Sustainability .

This is an exciting operation for all those involved in the mission, but for all of us too.  A long-term plan for reducing space junk is long overdue, and most welcome.

Representatives from both Astroscale and Applied Technology Institute will be attending Satellite 2024 in Washington DC during the week of March 18. 

If you want to learn more about Astroscale, drop by their booth on the floor of the Exhibit Hall. 

ATI offers a wide range of Space-related short-courses.  If you want to learn more about ATI ( www.aticourses.com ) and how we can help you with you and your company with your Training Needs, we would be happy to meet with you over coffee at the conference.  Email me at bob@aticourses.com and we can schedule a time and place to talk.

FINDING NEW WAYS TO COPE WITH SPACE DEBRIS-OR RISK IMPRISONING OURSELVES ON PLANET EARTH? by Tom Logsdon

For the past 58 years, starting in 1957, mankind has been launching enormous swarms of satellites and useless space debris in the vicinity of planet Earth. Many of these fragments swoop around our home planet at 17,000 miles per hour. When they collide at such high speeds, huge numbers of space debris fragments are instantly […]
FIGURE CAPTION: More than 20,000 space debris fragments are now orbiting the Earth and presenting serious collision hazards to their companions in space. In 1978 a NASA researcher, Donald Kessler, concluded that, if too many large objects were placed in low altitude orbits around the Earth, successive collisions between them could create a "chain reaction" that would, in turn, create so many additional objects, safe space launches could become impossible for future generations.
For the past 58 years, starting in 1957, mankind has been launching enormous swarms of satellites and useless space debris in the vicinity of planet Earth. Many of these fragments swoop around our home planet at 17,000 miles per hour. When they collide at such high speeds, huge numbers of space debris fragments are instantly created many of which continue to circle around the Earth with the possibility of further collisions. In the 1978 Donald Kessler, a talented researcher at NASA Houston, realized that successive collisions could create ever larger swarms of debris fragments that could, in turn, engage in further collisions to create even more dangerous fragments. Soon the space around the Earth would be swarming with dangerous, high-speed metallic shrapnel. This phenomenon has, in the meantime, then called the “Kessler Syndrome”. It is similar in concept to the nuclear chain reactions that make atomic bombs possible. Donald Kessler made careful estimates of the total tonnage of large objects in Earth orbit that could end up imprisoning us on our beautiful, blue planet. Flying space missions through swarms of high-speed debris could become much too dangerous for anyone to advocate. Separate studies have indicated that a highly energetic collision at a speed of about five miles per second (typical for low-altitude impacts) could create as many as 20 objects per pound of mass involved in the collision. What can be done to minimize the probability of a runaway “Kessler Syndrome” that could, theoretically, imprison all of us on planet Earth? 1. We could impose more stringent rules on the launching satellites and the debris fragments that typically result from such a launch. Some rules have already been established in conjunction with space exploration. These could be made more stringent. And they could be accompanied by fines or other penalties for those who fail to comply. 2. We could remove existing debris fragments from space to minimize the hazard of collisions. Some experts envision roving capture devices (e. g., spaceborne drones) that would rendezvous with — and remove — useless debris fragments from their orbits and hurl them back to Earth into remote oceans areas for safe disposal. 3. Ground-based lasers could illuminate selected debris fragments to push them out of orbit. Serious studies of this approach have been conducted at NASA headquarters, at NASA Houston, and at the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 4. Large debris fragments could be tracked with precision with ground-based and space-based sensors to pin down their trajectories to a high degree of accuracy. Probable collisions could then be predicted and spaceborne devices could be launched to nudge one or both of the objects onto safe collision-free trajectories. Among other approaches, puffs of air have been proposed to accomplish this goal. In 1978 Donald Kessler managed to develop a highly imaginative concept now called the Kessler Syndrome. His analysis indicated that, if we continue on our present path, we could all become prisoners on planet Earth unable to engage in the safe exploration of outer space. Fortunately, techniques are available to help mitigate this worrisome hazard. Tom Logsdon, who penned this account, tells the story of the space debris fragments now enveloping planet Earth in his special short course: “ORBITAL AND LAUNCH MECHANICS” which is being sponsored by the Applied Technology Institute on January 25 – 28, 2016, in Albuquerque, New Mexico and on March 1 – 4, 2016, in Columbia, Maryland These courses, which are lavishly illustrated with 400 full-color visuals, also include detailed explanations of the counterintuitive nature of powered flight maneuvers together with explanations of the new “Superhighways in Space”, and the contrasting philosophies of Russian and American booster rocket design. The illustrative calculations included in the course all employ realworld data values gleaned from the instructor’s professional experiences in the aerospace industry. Each student will receive a full-color version of every chart that appears on the screen, several pamphlets and written explanations of the concepts under review, and autographed copies of two of Logsdon’s published books. A few slots are still available in those two classes. Register early to assure your acceptance.