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A fascinating article in this month’s Wired magazine says we’re not only screwing up our own environment, we’re also polluting space (big surprise, right?). Apparently there’s so much garbage (some 15,000 pieces of debris) stuck in Earth’s orbit that some Scientists think future space travel might be a problem if something isn’t done about it soon. According to Wired, there are 6 ways to clean up the mess, which I’ll reprint after the jump. But seeing as you all always have such amazing ideas, I thought it would be fun to see what you come up with? Got a better idea about how to collect a 10-ton rocket stage? Calling all back-seat rocket scientists…
6 Ways to Clean Up Space
1. Aerogel
NASA already uses this superlight, polystyrene-like material to capture space dust for study. So, some scientists suggest, why not send massive, multipaned panels of aerogel into orbit to accumulate smaller pieces of space waste like bugs on a windshield? Once saturated with crap, the swaths of goo could be rocketed into the atmosphere.2. Lasers
Orbiting light cannons are possible but probably decades off (plus, there are diplomatic concerns). But scientists offer as a viable option ground-based lasers to disrupt the orbit of errant objects, causing them to plummet. Targeting would be handled by new supersensitive radar capable of tracking orbiting debris as small as 1 centimeter in diameter.3. Collector Barge
Engineers at the Uni versity of Arizona propose that an unmanned barge use radar and cameras to home in on objects, then deploy robot arms to snatch them up. Once clutched, items could be decimated by gold-plated mirrors that focus sunlight. Unless, that is, the scraps are shiny, in which case they would be added to the reflective array.4. Nets A system called Grasp (grapple, retrieve, and secure payload) would use a large, tightly meshed net strung between long, inflatable booms to ensnare objects. According to aerospace firm TUI, which is testing the system, a fleet of GRASP-equipped micro-satellites could fly into new debris clouds and trap the rubble before it wreaks additional havoc.
5. Foam
The fastest-growing category of debris is the small stuff — paint flecks, titanium bits, and other artifacts from collisions or explosions of large objects (such as rocket stages). NASA says a massive panel of highly porous foam (think Nerf football) could be placed in the path of a debris field. Junk passing through would quickly decelerate and fall to Earth.6. Tethers
Tethers of copper and other highly conductive materials could be installed on outgoing satellites or attached to older ones by delivery vehicles. Once unfurled, TUI’s theory goes, they would react with Earth’s electromagnetic field and become a sort of super conductive drag anchor, slowing an object until gravity pulled it into the inferno of reentry.
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posted by Rexmons on 5-9-2007 at 8:18 am
I would build a massive battle station called the junk star. Once it was fully operational, I’d use a tractor beam to pull in all the detritus…
posted by Jason! on 5-9-2007 at 8:26 am
Somehow I feel that causing the junk to crash back to some random place on the Earth is probably the wrong choice. We have to find a way to gather it all up and send it into the sun (I’ve seen Superman do that in the comics, so it has to work).
posted by Ernie on 5-9-2007 at 9:36 am
A big ass laser from Earth to superheat the junk, then fire a rail gun at it to disperse it. All solar powered of course!
posted by Jeff on 5-9-2007 at 9:43 am
Once the entrepreneurs get it all working, the privatization of space travel will solve the problem. Enterprising space travelers will fly up there and weld all the space junk together into private space stations. A little boost to maintain orbit, and they’re in business, manufacturing perfect ball bearings and weightlessly engineered DNA, making fortunes. See, Capitalism (with a capitol ‘C’) really does solve every problem!
posted by airship on 5-9-2007 at 9:44 am
This would be simple…all we need to do is create a Katamari as seen in the PS2 game Katamari Damacy and send it into space. Once there, it will begin to collect all the orbiting debris until there is none left!
posted by Nick on 5-9-2007 at 10:47 am
uh, call Tony Soprano. His business is waste management isn’t it?
posted by JaneM on 5-9-2007 at 12:09 pm
maybe they should start weekly garbage collections… then we could cart the garbage to another place, and clean that place up in a few years and so on. or a quicker thing to do is we could just call ourselves filthy pigs and be done with it. it’s really up to u guys
posted by trouble on 5-9-2007 at 1:18 pm
It’s only 5 ways–areogel and foam are essentially the same.
posted by Jason on 5-9-2007 at 2:20 pm
Cone(s) of expanding foam with “hairs” turned in toward the concave end (to hold the stuff) placed in converging orbits of the junk would slowly pick up the peices. When full, boost them to a parking orbit until they can be picked up by a returning shuttle or future space travel vehicle. The “junk” may be valuable as study material for aeorspace research or at least for classroom instruction. Probably make some bitchin’ earings too!
posted by Carl B. on 5-9-2007 at 3:46 pm
i gotta say i agree with trouble… we are pigs. why did it get so polluted anyway?
posted by alberti on 5-9-2007 at 7:11 pm
The biggest problems I have with the Foam and Tethers are the inability to control WHERE they land after they reenter Earths atmosphere. We know that the heat will help break up most of the junk but there will always be those stubborn bits that will fall on some guys farm in the middle of nowhere or with my luck, my house :(
I was thinking more of a unmanned reusable magnetic vehicle that can be directed to bring in it’s “basket of junk” over some safe area. Usually the Ocean but I would hate to see these get all junky too. How about some vast wasteland Desert? Then maybe some of the tiny bits can be collected and made into
jewelry like Carl B. suggested. Platinum and Diamonds are so Last Week! Everybody is wearing Galactic Debris !!LOL!
posted by CropTillDawn on 5-9-2007 at 10:01 pm
Use the plans from “Space Ball” and create a giant maid space ship—problem solved Go Mel Brooks
posted by loaf on 5-10-2007 at 3:27 pm
Hello. A very scientific question posed to our Genious Astrologists and
Meteorologists….our nation has been at war with Mother Nature…have you all
questioned the possibility of this turn
in climate from massive aggressive forces due to our “Junk Yard” out in space orbiting our planet. Remember when the first Apollo flights were being launched and what frequent rain and wind our southern states were getting. Have you really looked into once we launch anything what effects it has on Elnios or our North and South Poles…something about Magnetic Force?
Can someone check on the orbits and the
weather changes please. Hopefully someone will come up with an HONEST reply.
posted by Mary Helferich on 5-12-2007 at 9:50 am
The radiation from space will eventually kick-start life (not necessarily carbon based) in the debris. With luck this will evolve into the first intelligent life on/around earth and marvel at how it came into existence.
posted by Scriveyn on 5-14-2007 at 3:27 am