Space Debris: Few Solutions or No Solutions?

Minimizing future space debris is of significant importance because there are no proven, cost-effective methods to reduce existing debris. The ideas that appear to have the most merit, like GOLD, have narrow solution-sets, like being constrained to low earth orbit or mitigating future debris. I hate to be a defeatist, but pending a breakthrough in [...]

GOLD Solves Space Debris?

Will GOLD, the Gossamer Orbit Lowering Device, provide a cheap, fast, and good-enough solution to the problem of space debris in low earth orbit? GOLD is a very large and very thin balloon–up to 100 meter diameter–which when inflated, increases aerodynamic drag on space debris at low earth orbit by a factor of up to [...]

China Is The World’s Leading Space Polluter

The Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos says China is the world’s leading space debris creator. I’m assuming their calculations include China’s 2007 ASAT “test.”   If so, the Roscosmos assertion would be tough to deny.

The 17000 Pound Piece of Space Debris

Envisat, the European Space Agency’s $3 billion, 17000-plus pound earth observation satellite will be the biggest–physically at least–risk to satellites operating in polar orbits for the next 150 years. What happens in 150 years to change things?  It burns in. You would think the ESA has considered using whatever maneuver fuel is available to try [...]

Who Writes This Stuff?

Do you ever wonder if (in Dr. Strangelove’s voice) “Computers are writing internet articles”? I do, especially when I read We’re pigs in space, but Aussie technology set to clean up orbiting mess. Example 1: “The EOS system involves special cameras peering into the night sky to locate the debris.”  Special cameras, eh? Example 2: [...]

Pentagon Warns That Space Junk Poses Threat

The subtext in the original Washington Post article (registration required) says “Report urges steps to prevent collisions with satellites.”  The ‘report’ being referenced is the not-for-public-release (and interim) Space Posture Review. However the article, which is the Post’s variation of this Bloomberg article. never really says what steps are required other than “polices and laws [...]

Space Station Threatened by Chunk of Space Junk

Either within five clicks or a half-click depending on which official is talking.

2039′s Largest Piece of Space Debris

While Deep Purple sang of Space Truckin’, Japan has something else in mind, which in comparison makes Space Truckin’ sound like science-fact. Mitsubishi and IHI plan a $21 billion project to build a solar-power generator in space in the next three decades. The station will microwave electrical power to earth and tests are to start [...]