#Guglielmo Aglietti

[korkep-blog]

Megkezdődött a szemétgyűjtés tesztelése a világűrben - Videó

Becslések szerint mintegy 7500 tonna űrhulladék kering céltalanul odafent, fenyegetve az űrmissziókat. 

Sikeresen teszteltek egy űrszemetet összeszedő hálót a világűrben, a Föld felett több mint 300 kilométerre.

  A háló kipróbálása egy tesztsorozat része, amely különböző technológiákat mutat be a Föld körül keringő fémhulladékok begyűjtésére – olvasható a BBC internetes hírportálján.

  Becslések szerint mintegy 7500 tonna ilyen hulladék kering céltalanul odafent, fenyegetve az űrmissziókat.

  A RemoveDebris nevű műhold videót is készített a kísérletről. A rövid felvételen egy kicsi, cipősdoboz méretű tárgy látható, amint 6-8 méterrel a Surrey-i Egyetem űrhajója előtt bukdácsol. Hirtelen egy fényes háló lövell ki az műholdból, elterül és beborítja a dobozt.

  Kép: reprofoto: youtube

  “Úgy működött, ahogyan reméltük” – mondta Guglielmo Aglietti, a Surrey Space Centre igazgatója. “A céltárgy úgy forgott, ahogyan az várható egy együttműködésre nem képes szemétdarabtól, de tisztán látható, amint a háló elfogja. Nagyon boldog vagyok a kísérlet kimenetelével” – mondta a szakértő.

  Ha ez valódi “fogás” lenne, a hálót összekötötték volna a műholddal, amely eltávolítaná a szemetet az űrből. Mivel ez egy demonstráció volt, hagyják, hogy a háló és a doboz – amelyet külön ebből a célból lökött ki magából a RemoveDebris -, a Föld felé zuhanjon. Kis magasságuk miatt néhány hónap múlva elégnek a légkörben.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM6j76vsFyo

  A szakértők régóta tárgyalnak arról, milyen nagy szükség van az űrben lévő szemét eltávolítására, de az angliai egyetem műholdja az első, amely egy gyakorlati megoldást próbált ki.

  Hamarosan a RemoveDebris egy új kamerarendszert fog tesztelni a szemét követésére. A későbbiekben, talán a következő év elején pedig egy olyan szigonnyal is végeznek demonstrációt, amely képes lehet szemét befogására.

  Kép: newscientist.com

  Több millió selejtes fém vagy más anyagú szemét van Föld körüli pályán: régi rakétadaraboktól kezdve az asztronauták által véletlenül elejtett eszközökig igen széles skála.

  A szakértők attól tartanak, hogy ha nem kezdik el hamarosan az égbolt megtisztítását a szeméttől, az jelentős veszélyt fog jelenteni az aktív műholdakra. A probléma megoldása egyre sürgetőbb, hiszen számos olyan cég van, amely több ezernyi új műhold fellövését tervezi.

  MTI

Nyitókép: BBC

[spaceexp]

A satellite captures space junk for the first time

Space Debris illustration. September 21, 2018

Image above: In this September 2018 image made from video provided by the University of Surrey, a net is launched from a satellite to catch a test object. The experiment was conducted to research ways to clean up debris in orbit around Earth. Image Credit: University of Surrey. An experimental cleanup device called RemoveDebris has successfully cast a net around a dummy satellite, simulating a technique that could one day capture spaceborne garbage. The test, which was carried out this week, is widely believed to be the first successful demonstration of space cleanup technology, experts told CNN. And it signals an early step toward solving what is already a critical issue: debris in space. Millions of pieces of junk are whirling around in orbit, the result of 50 years of space travel and few regulations to keep space clean. At orbital speeds, even a small fleck of paint colliding with a satellite can cause critical damage. Various companies have plans to send thousands of new satellites into low-Earth orbit, already the most crowded area. The RemoveDebris experiment is run by a consortium of companies and researchers led by the UK's Surrey Space Centre and includes Airbus, Airbus-owned Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. and France's Ariane Group.

Researchers captured the test capture on video, which was shared online Wednesday

Guglielmo Aglietti, the director of Surrey Space Centre, said that an operational version of the RemoveDebris technology would cast out a net that remains tethered to the main satellite so the debris can be dragged out of orbit. It could target large pieces of junk, including dead satellites up to 10 meters long. For the test, however, the dummy satellite and net were left to orbit freely. So it essentially created another piece of uncontrolled debris. But Aglietti said it won't pose a risk for long. The experiment was conducted in a very low orbit, so the dummy satellite should fall out of the sky within a few months and plummet to its grave. The RemoveDebris satellite will conduct a few more experiments in the coming months, including testing navigation features that could help guide the satellite to a specific piece of debris. It will also test out a harpoon technology that could capture hulking satellites with a spear attached to a string. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said the success of this week's experiment was exciting, but he cautioned against "over-hyping" it. "There are dozens of good ideas about how to address this problem, but the devil is always in the details," he said.

A company called AGI helps track and map orbital debris

There are still enormous barriers to clear before operational cleanup missions will be underway, he said, and the most daunting is figuring out how to fund such projects. The RemoveDebris experiment cost roughly 15 million euros, or $18 million, and it was jointly funded by the European Commission and the groups involved in the project. That's relatively cheap as far as space travel goes. But McDowell pointed out that it will take more than one satellite to make a significant impact. "You can't just have like one garbage truck going around and picking up each [piece of debris]. To change from one orbit to another requires just as much rocket fuel as getting up there in the first place, so it's tricky to find a solution that is cost effective," McDowell said.

RemoveDebris Net Experiment Raw Footage

Aglietti, the Surrey professor who helped lead the RemoveDebris project, said "the challenge will be to convince the relevant authorities to sponsor these mission." Aglietti said he hopes RemoveDebris will conduct a few cleanup missions per year, targeting the largest pieces of junk in the most crowded orbits. But there's geopolitical issues to grapple with as well. International agreements prevent a project carried out by one nation to touch objects that were put into orbit by another country. For example, a UK-led cleanup project couldn't go after a defunct Russian-built rocket booster. "Currently space debris is a global problem as it affects all nations. Each piece of junk in space is owned by the original operators and orbital debris is not addressed explicitly in current international law," Xander Hall, a mission systems engineer at Airbus, said in an email. "[A]n international effort must be made to claim ownership of the debris and help fund its safe removal." Aglietti is hopeful. "I think all the stakeholders should get around the table, because it's in everybody's interest to remove that debris," he said. Related links: Application form: http://www.esa.int/Education/ESA_Academy/Application_form5 ESA’s Space Debris Office: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Operations/gse/ESA_Space_Debris_Office ESA’s Education Office: http://www.esa.int/Education Surrey Space Centre (University of Surrey): https://www.surrey.ac.uk/surrey-space-centre Swiss Space Center (EPFL): https://www.spacecenter.ch/activities/news/ Image, Animations, Video, Text, Credits: ESA/EPFL/University of Surrey/CNN/Jackie Wattles. Greetings, Orbiter.ch Full article

[baillieslf-blog]

英国成功用“鱼叉”捕捉了太空垃圾 去年夏天，国际空间站（ISS）发射了一种新型的太空碎片搜寻卫星。它的名字是RemoveDebris（清除碎片航天器），由萨里卫星技术有限公司和萨里太空中心研发。 该卫星的目的是测试装着目标定位软件、碎片网和鱼叉的卫星对于捕捉太空中漂浮的碎片垃圾是否有效。 在过去的几个月里，这艘航天器一直在进行一系列清除碎片（ADR，Active Debris Removal）的演习。大约一周前，这颗卫星卫星首次测试了它的鱼叉功能。 该测试已于2月8日星期五进行。 鱼叉（由空客防御与太空公司开发）以每秒20米（72公里/小时）的速度发射并刺穿目标，同时连接的电缆会防止设备向太空深处飞走。 首席研究员Guglielmo Aglietti在新闻发布会上表示：“这是RD项目研发以来最苛刻的实验，但实验的成功也证明了所有研究人员的努力，并给出了强而有力的证据，证明通过合作的力量，我们可以将整个行业和相关研究领域的经验汇集在一起，实现真正卓越的成就。” 这项测试是一系列测试中的第三项，旨在评估和验证该系统移除太空垃圾的能力。 第一次试验是在去年九月，宇宙飞船展开网络捕捉立方体卫星。Debrisat 1这个立方体卫星被指定携带了一个气球，该气球膨胀后模拟作为一个相当大的轨道碎片。 英国的大学与科学国务大臣Chris Skidmore也赞扬了这一成就。���说道：“如果太空碎片撞上卫星，会对我们的通信系统造成严重的后果。” 10月进行的第二次测试则验证了航天器的跟踪和测距激光器、算法和基于视觉的导航技术。 该测试包括宇宙飞船释放第二个立方体卫星（Debrisat2），然后用它的闪光激光雷达和彩色摄像机拍摄Debrisat2及其周围环境的图像。 空客视觉导航系统（VBN）的项目经理Thomas Chabot称：“基于视觉的导航传感器和算法是实现与不合作的空间目标（如轨道碎片）会合，并随后捕获的基本要素。此前在RemoveDebris上进行的导航实验为未来的移动碎片清除和在轨运行任务中奠下了基础。” 这艘太空船的侧面尺寸约为1米（3英尺），重约100公斤（220磅），是迄今为止部署在国际空间站的最大卫星。 根据美国太空监视网络显示，地球轨道内外有超过7600公吨的太空垃圾。其中一些物体的速度甚至高达48000公里/小时（30000英里/小时），对轨道飞行任务和空间站构成了很严重的潜在危害。而且以后只会变得更糟。 在接下来的几年里，全球预计将发射数千颗卫星，以应对不断增长的电信服务和全球宽带互联网的接入需求。此外，NASA及其它航天机构正试图执行更多的探索任务，这意味着将有更多的废弃火箭和各种各样的部件被丢弃在轨道上。 因此，为了保持天空的纯净和太空通道的畅通，我们需要进行一些认真的打扫工作。现在知道至少有一种建议的方法是行之有效的，当然让人备受鼓舞。 文章出处：蝌蚪五线谱 纠错 WorldTech-科技新闻汇总

[morganbelarus]

See The Moment A Satellite Successfully Harpoons Space Debris

In one of the world’s first attempts to clean up space, a new satellite designed under the RemoveDEBRIS program is using its harpoon-capture system to tackle the growing problem of space garbage.

The slow-motion video shows the harpoon mechanism stab through a piece of space garbage and successfully retract it into its system. Designed by Airbus Stevenage, the harpoon is constructed of a 1.5-meter (95-foot) boom deployed from the RemoveDEBRIS spacecraft with a satellite panel on the end. The harpoon can speed at a target at 20 meters (66 feet) per second in order to penetrate and capture debris.

“This is RemoveDEBRIS’ most demanding experiment and the fact that it was a success is [a] testament to all involved. The RemoveDEBRIS project provides strong evidence of what can be achieved with the power of collaboration – pooling together the experience across industry and the research field to achieve something truly remarkable,” said Guglielmo Aglietti, director of the Surrey Space Center, in a statement. 

It is the third successful experiment of the project. They previously showed their ability to capture a simulated piece of debris, and then successfully identified space trash with their LiDAR and camera-based vision navigation system. Altogether, the project aims to tackle the ongoing issue of space garbage, with a particular focus on larger targets, such as satellites.

“Successful in-space demonstration of the harpoon technology is a significant step towards solving the growing issue of space debris,” said Chris Burgess, harpoon lead engineer at Airbus Defence and Space.

All of the debris in Earth’s orbit is estimated to weigh more than 8,400 tonnes (including tiny fragments). Because they can travel at speeds of up to 48,000 kilometers (30,000 miles) per hour, pieces of space debris are fast enough to damage spacecraft and satellites, potentially wiping out communication systems. In 2009, a US satellite smashed into a Russian communications satellite. Though the satellite was inactive, the collision resulted in thousands of new pieces of space shrapnel. 

The last experiment is set to take place at the end of March, during which researchers will inflate a sail that will drag the satellite into Earth’s atmosphere to destroy it.

  Original Article : HERE ; This post was curated & posted using : RealSpecific

See The Moment A Satellite Successfully Harpoons Space Debris was originally posted by MetNews

[reseau-actu]

En quelques années, l'entreprise néo-zélandaise Rocket Lab est devenue un acteur de premier plan sur le marché des lanceurs privés pour mettre des satellites sur orbite. Son secret : un lanceur spécialisé sur les charges légères et les satellites de petite taille, afin de proposer un accès à l'orbite terrestre à moindre coût. Peter Beck, président-fondateur de Rocket lab, revient sur son aventure.

Valeurs actuelles. Quand avez-vous eu pour la première fois l'idée de créer Rocket Labs ? Peter Beck. L'histoire de la création de Rocket Labs peut se résumer à une simple équation d'offre et de demande. Au début des années 2000, l'électronique se miniaturisait dans tous les secteurs technologiques. Cela a aussi touch�� celui des satellites : il est devenu possible de créer des appareils dotés de capacités supérieures aux générations précédentes, qui ne faisaient plus que la taille d'une boîte à chaussures ou d'un petit réfrigérateur. Ces engins n'avaient pas besoin des énormes fusées utilisées pour lancer des satellites de la taille d'un bus en orbite géostationnaire. Ce qu'il leur fallait, c'était quelque chose de plus petit, plus abordable et pouvant être lancé plus fréquemment. Rocket Lab a été créé pour faire de cela une réalité. L'entreprise a vu le jour en 2006 et, en 2009, est devenue le premier acteur privé de l'hémisphère sud à envoyer une fusée dans l'espace [à l'époque, le lanceur Ātea-1, NDLR]. En permettant un meilleur accès à l'espace, nous bénéficierons tous des données et services apportés par les petits satellites.

Proposer un service commercial d'accès à l'orbite, c'est beaucoup plus compliqué que juste créer une fusée.

Quels sont les éléments-clés qui ont permis de passer d'une simple idée à une vraie entreprise capable d'exploiter son propre lanceur ? L'histoire d'une entreprise qui fait des lancements de satellites commence en général par la création d'une fusée. Mais ce n'est en fait qu'un élément parmi d'autres lorsque l'on veut gérer un service de mise sur orbite opérationnel, fiable et capable de voler fréquemment.

Dans notre cas, pour y arriver, il a d'abord fallu développer et tester le lanceur Electron et le moteur Rutherford. Cela a nécessité la fabrication du seul site de lancement orbital privé au monde, la création d'une Agence spatiale de Nouvelle-Zélande, d'une législation permettant les lancements depuis la Nouvelle-Zélande et un traité avec le gouvernement américain. Cela a également nécessité de lever dans la Silicon Valley des capitaux en grande quantité. Une fois ce travail de préparation effectué et le premier vol de test mené à bien, commence alors le long voyage pour lancer les opérations commerciales. Passer d'un prototype à un service fonctionnant à plein nécessite de changer d'échelle en termes de personnel, d'usine, de supply chain et de process.

Quels sont les différentes étapes qui ont permis la mise au point de cette fusée ? Placer le lanceur de Rocket Lab en orbite a marqué une étape importante, l'aboutissement de nombreuses années de recherche, de développement et de tests (et de plus de tests. Et après ça, d'encore plus de tests).

Avant de concevoir une fusée, il faut définir ce que l'on veut accomplir avec. Dans le cas de Rocket Lab, l'objectif était un accès fréquent et fiable à l'espace. Pour pouvoir lancer une fusée par semaine, notre but final, nous devions concevoir un appareil qui puisse être fabriqué puis lancé à une fréquence jamais atteinte auparavant. C'est ce qui a motivé la décision de créer des moteurs fabriqués à l'aide d'imprimantes 3D, qui pouvaient être “imprimés” en 24 heures. C'est aussi ce qui nous a poussés à construire et exploiter notre propre base de lancement, afin de contrôler totalement la programmation des vols. Depuis le premier vol d'Electron en 2017, Rocket Lab a fabriqué 100 moteurs Rutherford et en a envoyé 70 dans l'espace.

Electron a mené à bien six lancements commerciaux, avec 100 % de réussite pour nos clients

Trouver les sites et construire nos propres bases de lancement, mettre sur pied pratiquement toutes les équipes de Rocket Lab — de la production à l'industrialisation, en passant par les services aux entreprises et les logiciels —, comprendre et s'adapter aux obligations légales de deux pays différents et des traités internationaux, et intégrer à chaque véhicule des charges uniques et spécifiques à chaque client : chacune de ces étapes marque un jalon important sur le chemin du développement d'un service de lancement de satellites.

En quoi la fusée Electron est-elle différente des autres lanceurs qui placent en orbite de petites charges ? La plus grosse différence est aussi la plus évidente : Electron est la seule fusée entièrement dédiée au lancement de petits satellites. À ce jour, Rocket Lab a mené à bien six lancements orbitaux, avec un taux de réussite pour nos clients de 100 %. Dans un marché encombré, avec plus d'une centaine de start-up qui veulent développer leurs propres véhicules de lancement, être le seul en activité est une différence majeure.

Au cours des 18 mois qui ont suivi le premier lancement, Rocket Lab a mis 35 satellites en orbite sur le lanceur Electron pour différents clients privés et gouvernementaux, parmi lesquels la Nasa, l'US Air Force, le Darpa [l'agence de recherche du département de la Défense américain, NDLR], Planet et Spire. Ces lancements ont permis des opérations de gestion des débris spatiaux, d'observation de la Terre, de surveillance des navires et avions, et de communications radio.

Rocket Lab veut faire partie de la solution quant à l'augmentation des débris spatiaux.

Les éléments différenciants sont également d'ordre technique : Electron est la première structure entièrement fabriquée en matériaux composites de carbone utilisée dans une fusée orbitale. cela lui permet d'être extrêmement légère, donc de maximiser la capacité d'emport, tout en conservant une structure solide. Le moteur Rutherford qui la propulse — il doit son nom au physicien néozélandais Ernest Rutherford, prix Nobel considéré comme le père de la physique nucléaire – incorpore plus d'éléments fabriqués grâce à des imprimantes 3D que n'importe quel autre moteur de fusée au monde. Enfin, les pompes qui alimentent la chambre de combustion en oxygène liquide fonctionnent au moyen de moteurs et de batteries électriques, quand le standard du secteur est la turbine à gaz.

En plus de cette longue liste de premières mondiales, Rocket Lab tient à faire partie de la solution quant à la pérennité de l'accès à l'espace et à la réduction des débris spatiaux. Habituellement, les grands étages fusée sont abandonnés en orbite après une mission réussie, et contribuent ainsi au problème global des déchets spatiaux au-dessus de notre planète. C'est pourquoi Rocket Lab a créé un étage supplémentaire pour la fusée Electron, à la fois agile et puissant, baptisé “Kick Stage”. Ce Kick Stage est conçu pour emmener de petits satellites sur des orbites précises et, une fois ceux-ci déployés, se réorienter et rallumer son moteur Curie une dernière fois pour mener à bien une manœuvre de désorbitage. Cela permet au Kick Stage de réduire son orbite, re-rentrer dans l'atmosphère et se consumer. Rocket Lab a créé ce système spécifiquement pour ne laisser en orbite que la satellites de nos clients, réduisant ainsi le nombre d'étages abandonnés en orbite et assurant un accès durable à l'espace pour les années à venir.

Le marché des lanceurs peut vraisemblablement faire vivre un ou deux fournisseurs de services de lancement spécialisés sur les petits satellites.

Il semble qu'un grand nombre d'entreprises tentent de créer leur propre lanceur. Pensez-vous qu'elles peuvent toutes y arriver ? Le marché est-il suffisamment important pour qu'elles y trouvent toutes leur compte ? Le marché des lanceurs peut vraisemblablement faire vivre un ou deux fournisseurs de services de lancement spécialisés sur les petits satellites. Une série de facteurs devrait entraîner une consolidation du marché, au-delà de la simple difficulté à créer un lanceur : l'équilibre entre l'offre et la demande, la nécessité de lever énormément de capitaux pour se lancer dans l'aventure et le nombre limité de créneaux sur les plateformes de lancement devraient contribuer à réduire le nombre d'acteurs sur ce segment des fusées de petite taille.

Avec un lanceur fiable et des charges de clients placées sur orbite, deux sites de lancement et des usines de production à grande échelle, Rocket Labs est en bonne place pour être le leader global des lancements dédiés aux petits satellites.

Retrouvez aujourd'hui, en supplément de Valeurs actuelles, notre supplément Le Spectacle du Monde consacré aux nouveaux enjeux de la conquête spatiale. Avec la participation de Jean-Yves Le Gall, président du CNES, Agnes Levy-Segal et Ariel Gomez, deux des ingénieurs derrière la sonde israélienne Beresheet, l'astronaute Claudie Haigneré, le général Michel Friedling, à la tête du commandement spatial de l'armée française, Guglielmo Aglietti, qui dirige le consortium removeDEBRIS et Robert Zubrin, ingénieur de moteurs de fusée et président de la Mars Society.

[amenhotepilianaus]

太空垃圾如何清理？衛星測試用魚叉擊中太空垃圾碎片

一項名為RemoveDebris（清除碎片）的太空垃圾清理衛星項目通過關鍵測試，項目衛星用類似於魚叉的設備成功刺穿太空中的模擬碎片。據悉，該項目旨在清理目前環繞地球運行的數十萬塊太空垃圾。試驗的畫面顯示，這顆名為RemoveDebris的歐洲衛星將書寫筆大小的帶刺鈦矛試射到附在衛星短吊杆的一塊鋁質面板上。

圖示：項目衛星以每小時70公里的速度發射「魚叉」擊中太空垃圾碎片

這個類似於魚叉的設備從冰箱大小的衛星上以每小時44英里的速度射出，其拖着一根繩子猛烈刺穿了鋁質面板。

「到目前為止，我們真的很高興，」英國薩里太空中心主任、這項耗資1500萬美元項目的首席研究員古格列爾莫·阿格列蒂(Guglielmo Aglietti)如是指出。「目標物是用和衛星一樣的材料製成的，所以能代表整個系統的工作原理。」

在清理太空垃圾���實際任務中，衛星會使用一個大得多的太空魚叉捕獲碎片，然後將其拖到大氣層中燃燒掉。阿格利蒂把這次演習比作敢死隊任務。

據統計，太空中散布着從���棄的火箭部件、報廢衛星，再到散落的螺母和螺栓等各種太空垃圾。美國國防部現在對地球軌道上堆積的50多萬件人造碎片進行跟蹤。所有這些太空垃圾對經過的航天器，比如說國際空間站以及耗資數十億美元的衛星構成了日益嚴重的碰撞威脅。

「從統計角度講，每五到九年就會有一次災難性的碰撞,一顆仍完好無損的大型太空垃圾往往會被撞擊成數以千計的碎片，」 德國航空航天中心專門處理太空垃圾的專家曼努埃爾`梅茨（Manuel Metz）表示，「這些新的碎片本身可能會產生新的碰撞，因此會產生層疊效應。」而這種現象正是2013年電影《地心引力》所描述的潛在災難性現象。

阿格利蒂認為，首先集中精力清除最大的太空碎片是有道理的，因為它們往往威脅更大。整個項目的想法是發射一系列的垃圾清理衛星，讓它們每年捕獲並清除一些碎片。

如果正在進行的清除太空垃圾測試任務圓滿結束，阿格利蒂希望航空航天公司願意為清理太空垃圾的任務提供資金。「這是概念的證明，」他說。「如果成功了，我們希望我們的工業合作夥伴將其推進到商業領域。」

此次演示是RemoveDebris衛星對太空碎片收集設備進行一系列測試中的第二次。RemoveDebris衛星由大學和航空航天公司組成的一個財團建造，主要由歐盟提供資金。

去年9月，這顆衛星成功地用一個裝有彈簧的網捕獲了一塊模擬碎片。今年3月，這顆衛星將在一塊太空碎片上安裝一個可充氣的「拖曳帆」。科學家們預計，「拖曳帆」將與衛星所在高度的少數空氣分子相互作用，從而減慢碎片的飛行速度，使其墜入大氣層並燃燒。

此外，人們還提出了各種潛在裝置來捕獲和消除空間碎片，包括自推進系繩和機械臂。阿格利蒂說，之所以選擇魚叉、漁網和拖曳帆來清除太空垃圾碎片，是因為它們更為經濟。

德克薩斯大學奧斯汀分校(University of Texas at Austin)太空科學家、太空碎片研究專家莫里巴·賈(Moriba Jah)說，最好有不止一種方法來清除所有堆積的垃圾。「主動清除太空碎片需要許多不同的方法和技術，」他在周二的一封電子郵件中說。「我認為，我們需要一套所謂的『工具包』，能夠根據實際情況應用各種方法。」

來源：cnBeta

from http://bit.ly/2ZVAMqV

[blogcowboyron]

The Associated PressCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A harpoon flung from a satellite has successfully

The Associated PressCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A harpoon flung from a satellite has successfully

The Associated PressCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A harpoon flung from a satellite has successfully captured a piece of pretend space junk, like a whale.

The British-led experiment is part of an effort to clean up debris in orbit, hundreds of miles above Earth.

The University of Surrey’s Guglielmo Aglietti said that the steel-tipped harpoon scored a bull’s-eye earlier this month. The harpoon…

[princeashy]

Harpoon successfully spears space junk - Press Herald

Harpoon successfully spears space junk – Press Herald

[ad_1]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A harpoon flung from a satellite has successfully captured a piece of pretend space junk, like a whale.

The British-led experiment is part of an effort to clean up debris in orbit, hundreds of miles above Earth.

The University of Surrey’s Guglielmo Aglietti said Friday that the steel-tipped harpoon scored a bull’s-eye last Friday.

The harpoon – no bigger than a…

[gpjdigital]

This is the first ever practical attempt to try out clean-up technology.  Professor Guglielmo Aglietti, director of Surrey Space Centre mentions “While it might sound like a simple idea, the complexity of using a net in space to capture a piece of debris took many years of planning, engineering and co-ordination.”

Nasa has managed to track 20,000 pieces of debris larger than a cricket ball, that orbit the Earth at speeds of up to 17,500mph. Its estimated that there are 500,000 pieces the size of a marble or larger. Despite the low chances of a collision between a small object and a spacecraft, the effects would be disastrous.

[jacobnsteel84]

Satellite captures space junk for the first time

"It's in everybody's interest to remove that debris," said Guglielmo Aglietti, the director of Surrey Space Centre. from Trading Tips https://ift.tt/2QMBfH9

[nemzetinet]

Sikeresen tesztelték az űrszemetet összeszedő hálót az űrben

Sikeresen teszteltek egy űrszemetet összeszedő hálót a világűrben, a Föld felett több mint 300 kilométerre.

Az űrszemetet összeszedő háló kipróbálása egy tesztsorozat része, amely különböző technológiákat mutat be a Föld körül keringő fémhulladékok begyűjtésére – olvasható a BBC-n.

Becslések szerint mintegy 7500 tonna ilyen hulladék kering céltalanul odafent, fenyegetve az űrmissziókat.

A RemoveDebris nevű műhold videót is készített a kísérletről. A rövid felvételen egy kicsi, cipősdoboz méretű tárgy látható, amint 6-8 méterrel a Surrey-i Egyetem űrhajója előtt bukdácsol. Hirtelen egy fényes háló lövell ki az műholdból, elterül és beborítja a dobozt.

„Úgy működött, ahogyan reméltük” – mondta Guglielmo Aglietti, a Surrey Space Centre igazgatója.

A céltárgy úgy forgott, ahogyan az várható egy együttműködésre nem képes szemétdarabtól, de tisztán látható, amint a háló elfogja. Nagyon boldog vagyok a kísérlet kimenetelével

– mondta a szakértő.

Ha ez valódi fogás lenne, a hálót összekötötték volna a műholddal, amely eltávolítaná a szemetet az űrből. Mivel ez egy demonstráció volt, hagyják, hogy a háló és a doboz – amelyet külön ebből a célból lökött ki magából a RemoveDebris –, a Föld felé zuhanjon. Kis magasságuk miatt néhány hónap múlva elégnek a légkörben.

A szakértők régóta tárgyalnak arról, milyen nagy szükség van az űrben lévő szemét eltávolítására, de az angliai egyetem műholdja az első, amely egy gyakorlati megoldást próbált ki.

Hamarosan a RemoveDebris egy új kamerarendszert fog tesztelni a szemét követésére. A későbbiekben, talán a következő év elején pedig egy olyan szigonnyal is végeznek demonstrációt, amely képes lehet szemét befogására.

Több millió selejtes fém vagy más anyagú szemét van Föld körüli pályán. A régi rakétadaraboktól kezdve az asztronauták által véletlenül elejtett eszközökig igen széles skála.

A szakértők attól tartanak, hogy ha nem kezdik el hamarosan az égbolt megtisztítását a szeméttől, az jelentős veszélyt fog jelenteni az aktív műholdakra. A probléma megoldása egyre sürgetőbb, hiszen számos olyan cég van, amely több ezernyi új műhold fellövését tervezi.

Sikeresen tesztelték az űrszemetet összeszedő hálót az űrben a Nemzeti.net-en jelent meg,

[wikipress01]

There’s a Garbage Problem in Space. A Harpoon and Net May Be the Answer

An experiment aboard the International Space Station might assist engineers determine learn how to sooner or later take out the accumulating quantity of trash in orbit.

Engineers will carry out workouts later this 12 months in which they may use cameras and laser steering to seize objects with a harpoon and web connected to a spacecraft, known as RemoveDEBRIS.

“Our experiments should start in September or October and they might last three or four months,” principal investigator Guglielmo Aglietti advised Seeker. Aglietti is director of the Surrey Space Center at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom. The heart is managing the mission and additionally constructed the microsatellites that RemoveDEBRIS will gather throughout the experiments.

Aglietti mentioned the timing of the experiments is very depending on adequate illumination from the solar.

Humans have been placing objects in orbit since 1957. That’s resulted in an estimated 500,000 items of particles circling Earth, together with objects as giant as useless satellites to ones as small as screws.

Because orbiting particles travels at excessive pace, it typically poses a severe risk to operations in area. In 2009, the defunct Russian satellite tv for pc Cosmos-2251 smashed into the operational Iridium 33 satellite tv for pc. And engineers periodically regulate the orbit of the International Space Station in order to dodge area particles.

(function(d, s, id, debug) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "http://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk" + (debug ? '/debug' : '') + '.js#version=v2.0&xfbml=1&appId=1758758057675180'; js.async = true; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk', /*debug*/ false)); Source hyperlink

from http://www.wikipress.co.uk/science/theres-a-garbage-problem-in-space-a-harpoon-and-net-may-be-the-answer/

[repmywind02199]

Satellite that will Harpoon Space Junk Begins Test Flight - Geek News Central

Satellite that will Harpoon Space Junk Begins Test Flight - Geek News Central

The RemoveDEBRIS satellite was deployed from the International Space Station on June 20, 2018. This was the third major micro satellite deployment for NanoRacks (a Houston-based company coordinating RemoveDEBRIS’ deployment) and the largest satellite that has been deployed from the ISS.

RemoveDEBRIS is one of the world’s first attempts to address the build-up of space debris orbiting Earth.

Space.com reported that RemoveDEBRIS will demonstrate active space debris-removal technologies, including a harpoon, a net, and a drag sail.

The ground controllers will spend the next two months switching on all the satellite’s subsystems and checking that they work as designed, according to Guglielmo Aglietti, director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey and principal investigator of the European Union-funded, 5.2-million- euro ($18.7 million) mission.

Experiments are expected to start in September. The debris-catching net equipment, which was developed by Airbus in Germany, will be conducted in October. The satellite will release a cubesat, let it drift away a small distance, and then eject the net to capture the cubesat.

In December, RemoveDEBRIS will test vision-based navigation technologies developed by Airbus in France. The satellite will use a set of 2D cameras and a 3D lidar technology to track a second cubesat as it floats away from the main satellite.

In February of 2019, RemoveDEBRIS will fire a harpoon into a panel that will deploy from the main spacecraft attached to a boom. Sometime in March 2019, RemoveDEBRIS will deploy a sail, which will speed up its deorbiting ability.

At exactly 11:35:00 UTC on June 20, we had a beautiful view of the #RemoveDEBRIS satellite being released from our #Kaber deployer. Thank you @astro_ricky for capturing such beautiful photos of this historic moment on @Space_Station! pic.twitter.com/bcQfrBjfaR

— NanoRacks (@NanoRacks) June 22, 2018

https://ift.tt/2K1kjgt

[technato]

4 Critical Tests for a New Spacecraft That Will Clean Up Space Debris

A European mission will test whether nets and harpoons can capture and remove space junk

Photo: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Showtime: Prior to its April launch, a technician applied the finishing touches to the RemoveDebris spacecraft. 

A spacecraft may soon be able to snare space junk by firing harpoons and nets. A European mission was expected to begin tests in late May of space-age versions of those ancient tools to clean up Earth’s cluttered orbital lanes.

Space junk has already destroyed at least one satellite, damaged others, and periodically forces the crew aboard the International Space Station to take evasive action. There are more than half a million pieces of space debris larger than a marble and tens of thousands of significantly larger specimens left over from spent rocket boosters and defunct satellites. To head off future catastrophe, experts from NASA and the European Space Agency have proposed removing 5 to 10 large pieces of debris each year.

For the new mission, plainly called RemoveDebris, collaborators launched a 1-cubic-meter spacecraft to the space station in April. The spacecraft was scheduled to deploy from the space station in May to complete four tests of technologies, including a net and harpoon, that could be used to clear space debris.

“The net and harpoon are simple concepts but uniquely implemented for this application,” said Guglielmo Aglietti, principal investigator and director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, in England.

Other researchers have proposed using lasers or electrified cables to nudge space junk into orbits that lead it to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. A Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency attempt to test an electrodynamic tether failed in 2017 because the tether was unable to unroll and deploy. Several other missions have tested passive removal, which involves aged satellites using their own boosters or deploying drag sails to force self-immolation.

Given that limited history of testing, the US $18.7 million RemoveDebris mission could prove instructive as a low-budget demonstration. The European Commission and the ­Surrey Space Centre are leading an international consortium backing the mission.

If successful, the project could inspire a follow-up mission that will try to capture an actual piece of space junk, said William Schonberg, an aerospace engineer at Missouri University of Science and Technology who is not involved in the effort. “Hopefully, we will not have a disaster that costs human lives before we have the combined will to do something,” he said.

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Go Fish: In one test, the spacecraft will toss out a net to snare a CubeSat. 

Net Capture

For this test, the main spacecraft will release a CubeSat about the size of a bread loaf that will deploy and inflate a 1-meter balloon to make itself into a larger target. Once the CubeSat has drifted 6 meters away, the main spacecraft will launch a 5-⁠meter-wide net at the target.

If all goes well, weighted masses on the net’s edges will wrap it securely around the target. Motor-driven spools will tighten the neck of the net to prevent the CubeSat from escaping.

The entangled satellite will then be left to fall out of orbit and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. But future missions could also allow the spacecraft to reel in its netted prey.

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Clean Patrol: The 100-kilogram RemoveDebris spacecraft must now prove its ability to capture space junk. 

Vision-Based Navigation

Any space-debris removal will require the ability to accurately track floating bits of stuff. The mission’s second test involves a vision-based navigation ­system that uses a pair of cameras and a lidar sensor to follow potential targets.

The two cameras will ride aboard the mother ship and perform two sets of observations. First, the cameras will observe the net-capture experiment involving the first CubeSat. Then the cameras will turn their focus onto a second CubeSat, equipped with four extendable solar panels, that will deploy from the main spacecraft. Eventually, that CubeSat will drift out of orbit and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Bull’s-Eye: A tethered harpoon with a pointed tip zooms toward its target in this conceptual rendering.

Harpoon Capture

In the harpoon test, the spacecraft will not attempt to spear a tumbling target moving along its own trajectory. Instead, it will extend a long arm to hold a stationary target, about the size of a ping-pong paddle.

Once the target is in place at a distance of 1.5 meters, the spacecraft will fire a small harpoon that consists of a miniature projectile the size of a pen with a trailing tether. The tether will allow the spacecraft to reel in its target. It may sound simple, but it’s a necessary step in demonstrating how well a harpoon could perform in real space conditions.

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

A Fiery Demise: In another test, the spacecraft will deploy a sail to gracefully descend and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Drag Sail

The final test will prevent the spacecraft itself from becoming yet another piece of space debris. This test involves raising a drag sail on the end of a mast that will extend to 1 meter and ensure that the sail doesn’t entangle the spacecraft. Once the sail’s mast is ready, a motor will raise carbon fiber booms that open the sail’s membrane, which measures about 10 square meters. The drag sail will act as a large brake, making the main spacecraft leave orbit faster and bringing the mission to an end.

This article appears in the June 2018 print issue as “Fishing for Space Junk.”

4 Critical Tests for a New Spacecraft That Will Clean Up Space Debris syndicated from https://jiohowweb.blogspot.com

[technato]

4 Critical Tests for a New Spacecraft That Will Clean Up Space Debris

A European mission will test whether nets and harpoons can capture and remove space junk

Photo: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Showtime: Prior to its April launch, a technician applied the finishing touches to the RemoveDebris spacecraft. 

A spacecraft may soon be able to snare space junk by firing harpoons and nets. A European mission was expected to begin tests in late May of space-age versions of those ancient tools to clean up Earth’s cluttered orbital lanes.

Space junk has already destroyed at least one satellite, damaged others, and periodically forces the crew aboard the International Space Station to take evasive action. There are more than half a million pieces of space debris larger than a marble and tens of thousands of significantly larger specimens left over from spent rocket boosters and defunct satellites. To head off future catastrophe, experts from NASA and the European Space Agency have proposed removing 5 to 10 large pieces of debris each year.

For the new mission, plainly called RemoveDebris, collaborators launched a 1-cubic-meter spacecraft to the space station in April. The spacecraft was scheduled to deploy from the space station in May to complete four tests of technologies, including a net and harpoon, that could be used to clear space debris.

“The net and harpoon are simple concepts but uniquely implemented for this application,” said Guglielmo Aglietti, principal investigator and director of the Surrey Space Centre at the University of Surrey, in England.

Other researchers have proposed using lasers or electrified cables to nudge space junk into orbits that lead it to burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. A Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency attempt to test an electrodynamic tether failed in 2017 because the tether was unable to unroll and deploy. Several other missions have tested passive removal, which involves aged satellites using their own boosters or deploying drag sails to force self-immolation.

Given that limited history of testing, the US $18.7 million RemoveDebris mission could prove instructive as a low-budget demonstration. The European Commission and the ­Surrey Space Centre are leading an international consortium backing the mission.

If successful, the project could inspire a follow-up mission that will try to capture an actual piece of space junk, said William Schonberg, an aerospace engineer at Missouri University of Science and Technology who is not involved in the effort. “Hopefully, we will not have a disaster that costs human lives before we have the combined will to do something,” he said.

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Go Fish: In one test, the spacecraft will toss out a net to snare a CubeSat. 

Net Capture

For this test, the main spacecraft will release a CubeSat about the size of a bread loaf that will deploy and inflate a 1-meter balloon to make itself into a larger target. Once the CubeSat has drifted 6 meters away, the main spacecraft will launch a 5-⁠meter-wide net at the target.

If all goes well, weighted masses on the net’s edges will wrap it securely around the target. Motor-driven spools will tighten the neck of the net to prevent the CubeSat from escaping.

The entangled satellite will then be left to fall out of orbit and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. But future missions could also allow the spacecraft to reel in its netted prey.

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Clean Patrol: The 100-kilogram RemoveDebris spacecraft must now prove its ability to capture space junk. 

Vision-Based Navigation

Any space-debris removal will require the ability to accurately track floating bits of stuff. The mission’s second test involves a vision-based navigation ­system that uses a pair of cameras and a lidar sensor to follow potential targets.

The two cameras will ride aboard the mother ship and perform two sets of observations. First, the cameras will observe the net-capture experiment involving the first CubeSat. Then the cameras will turn their focus onto a second CubeSat, equipped with four extendable solar panels, that will deploy from the main spacecraft. Eventually, that CubeSat will drift out of orbit and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

Bull’s-Eye: A tethered harpoon with a pointed tip zooms toward its target in this conceptual rendering.

Harpoon Capture

In the harpoon test, the spacecraft will not attempt to spear a tumbling target moving along its own trajectory. Instead, it will extend a long arm to hold a stationary target, about the size of a ping-pong paddle.

Once the target is in place at a distance of 1.5 meters, the spacecraft will fire a small harpoon that consists of a miniature projectile the size of a pen with a trailing tether. The tether will allow the spacecraft to reel in its target. It may sound simple, but it’s a necessary step in demonstrating how well a harpoon could perform in real space conditions.

Illustration: Equinox Graphics/Surrey Space Centre/University of Surrey

A Fiery Demise: In another test, the spacecraft will deploy a sail to gracefully descend and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.

Drag Sail

The final test will prevent the spacecraft itself from becoming yet another piece of space debris. This test involves raising a drag sail on the end of a mast that will extend to 1 meter and ensure that the sail doesn’t entangle the spacecraft. Once the sail’s mast is ready, a motor will raise carbon fiber booms that open the sail’s membrane, which measures about 10 square meters. The drag sail will act as a large brake, making the main spacecraft leave orbit faster and bringing the mission to an end.

This article appears in the June 2018 print issue as “Fishing for Space Junk.”

4 Critical Tests for a New Spacecraft That Will Clean Up Space Debris syndicated from https://jiohowweb.blogspot.com