Debris briefly forces astronauts from ISS

[msbae]

http://www.reuters.com/article/scie...312?feedType=RSS&feedName=scienceNews&sp=true

Time to start arming these stations and shuttles with Laser beams so they can blast all the space junk in their way.

 

[TheMasterOfOrion]

Lucky escape for the astronauts! A laser beam is a nice idea but there's a possibility it will only heat up the object and not change its trajectory. If the debris is a chunk of Shuttle tile traveling at 19,000 Mph that stuff is so heat resistant it would be kinda pointless hitting it with a laser.

What we need is a big clean up operation.

The US or Russia should start cleaning up space like garbage men and tax any nations who depend on our satellites for the clean up. This kind of giant clean up program might even stimulate the economy like Apollo did during the 60s

 

[Alpha_Geek]

Nah, ther ISS needs a stimulus package that includes a navigational deflector... or perhaps a gianormous cow catcher.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

I think a single bullet type projectile if fired powerfully enough and aimed spot on would be enough to change the trajectory of a clump of space junk. I think a few of these located on the outside of the ISS connected to a motor arm and sensor module would be adequate.

 

[Squiggy]

The astronauts never left the ISS.

 

[Alpha_Geek]

OK, they didn't undock. AP said earlier that they had gotten in the Soyuz and closed the hatch as a precaution.

But by airline standards, closing the door is when they consider the craft as having departed the terminal.


I guess it's all about the terminology, eh?

 

[Jadzia]

I think a single bullet type projectile if fired powerfully enough and aimed spot on would be enough to change the trajectory of a clump of space junk. I think a few of these located on the outside of the ISS connected to a motor arm and sensor module would be adequate.

The danger it poses is due to its kinetic energy. These bits are travelling so fast that impact with anything would very likely shatter the thing, into several pieces, each almost as dangerous. It's probably better to try and avoid collisions than shooting the junk out of the way.

The general risk of space junk is that it exponentially escalates. Imagine junk colliding with junk, and one collision turns two pieces into 20 pieces, and so on. More pieces = more chance of collisions, so it escalates exponentially until there are so many pieces that anything going into space is being hit with a sandblaster.

I'm not sure what the effect would be if one of these larger 'bullets' of debris collided with the space station. Would it cut a neat tunnel straight through? Would it impact like dynamite? I think the former would be more favourable, which means building the bulk surface of a space-station with thin light weight materials like foil rather thansheet metal.

If there were such a thing as 'space terrorism', it'd be something like detonating nail bombs in space to damage satellite, and all those projectiles would maintain the same deadly force as the had moment the thing exploded, but would perpetuate for centuries.

 

[Squiggy]

OK, they didn't undock. AP said earlier that they had gotten in the Soyuz and closed the hatch as a precaution.

But by airline standards, closing the door is when they consider the craft as having departed the terminal.


I guess it's all about the terminology, eh?

Ah, but NASA doesn't use the same terminology as Delta.

The Soyuz is considered the ISS's (eyeessessess?) escape device and as such is part of the station. It would be akin to going in your bedroom, closing the door, and then claiming you left the house.

For record keeping purposes, the ISS has still be continuously manned since 02 NOV 00.

 

[msbae]

Lucky escape for the astronauts! A laser beam is a nice idea but there's a possibility it will only heat up the object and not change its trajectory. If the debris is a chunk of Shuttle tile traveling at 19,000 Mph that stuff is so heat resistant it would be kinda pointless hitting it with a laser.

What we need is a big clean up operation.

The US or Russia should start cleaning up space like garbage men and tax any nations who depend on our satellites for the clean up. This kind of giant clean up program might even stimulate the economy like Apollo did during the 60s

Okay, fine. We'll arm them with highly disruptive particle cannons instead.

 

[msbae]

Debris near space station was bigger than reported...

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N13529638.htm

 

[Brent]

time to start thinking of a way to deflect this kinda stuff, perhaps some research needs to go into developing technology to do this

 

[Alpha_Geek]

Ah, but NASA doesn't use the same terminology as Delta.

...and having sat in a plane that had "departed" and then sat on the tarmac for an hour, I agree with NASA!

 

[Mike Farley]

I think a single bullet type projectile if fired powerfully enough and aimed spot on would be enough to change the trajectory of a clump of space junk. I think a few of these located on the outside of the ISS connected to a motor arm and sensor module would be adequate.

While that might solve the immediate problem it would just add yet another bit of dangerous debris in Earth orbit.

 

[Zulu Romeo]

I think a single bullet type projectile if fired powerfully enough and aimed spot on would be enough to change the trajectory of a clump of space junk. I think a few of these located on the outside of the ISS connected to a motor arm and sensor module would be adequate.

While that might solve the immediate problem it would just add yet another bit of dangerous debris in Earth orbit.

And moving at a very fast speed, in the vacuum of space with only the Earth's gravitational pull keeping it from flying out towards Saturn. Its speed on launch would therefore be similar when it orbits the Earth and comes back to bite you on the bum. Only substitute "bite you on the bum" with "tear a bullet-sized hole right through your space station complete with an exit wound on the other side with no consideration over whatever part of the human body might lie in between said entry and exit holes".

 

[Zachary Smith]

They built the thing without deflector shields?

How stupid was that?

 

[SeerSGB]

They built the thing without deflector shields?

How stupid was that?

They were going to be installed on Tuesday.

 

[TheMasterOfOrion]

time to start thinking of a way to deflect this kinda stuff, perhaps some research needs to go into developing technology to do this

In the meantime we should be cleaning up space, what we need is a big vacuum cleaner team to remove all that space junk

 

[All Seeing Eye]

How about big kickass sized orbital magnets? as they orbit the planet they pull in all the debris. When they've pulled in as much as they can they leave orbit and either fly into the sun or crashes on the Moon to be slavaged later when colony building.

 

[Jadzia]

How about big kickass sized orbital magnets? as they orbit the planet they pull in all the debris. When they've pulled in as much as they can they leave orbit and either fly into the sun or crashes on the Moon to be slavaged later when colony building.

Magnets would only work with magnetic alloys, and considering that space metals are predominantly aluminum and titanium, it wouldn't work.

The earth has a substantial magnetic field anyway, but we don't get space junk being pulled into the N/S poles.

You should invent a deflector grid or shields or a tractor or repulser beam, Tachyon. I want to see some more of your plans and drawings. They're really fascinating to look at

 

[All Seeing Eye]

Ok, we send a satellite up into orbit with a sensor module and huge mirrors on a dish shaped area, the satellite remains in the suns view whilst in orbit and reflects the suns rays onto a single focal point, when the sensor module detects debris the satellite refocuses the intense sunlight beam toward the debris and slowly nudges it downwards into the atmosphere to be burnt up.