Chinese scientists team seeking to destroy "space garbage" drifting into space with a huge laser cannon

ByFranco Dal Molin

In 1957 the Soviet Union became the first satellite "Sputnik 1Since launching, humanity has sent numerous artificial satellites and spaceships to outer space. And now it is attracting attention that artificial satellites and spaceships that are worn out, broken down or broken have "Space garbage"(Space debris) is a problem that many drift. In China, in order to solve this problem, we are seeking a policy to construct a huge laser facility in outer space to clean up space garbage.

Impacts of orbital elements of space-based laser station on small scale space debris removal - ScienceDirect
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0030402617312068

China wants to clean Earth's orbit by blasting space junk with giant lasers - BGR
http://bgr.com/2018/01/16/china-wants-to-clean-earths-orbit-by-blasting-space-junk-with-giant-lasers/

Space waste drifting along the earth orbiting continues flying at high speed forever because it does not receive resistance such as air, and it is a hindrance to other normal satellites and spacecraft. Cosmic garbage that fly at ultra high speed creates tremendous destructive power when colliding with something even if it is small, and a vicious cycle arises that new space debris is created by collision of space rubbish and collapse. Up to now, as a method to solve this problem, a method of recovering space debris by skipping a dedicated spacecraft, a method of attracting garbage by using magnetic force, and the like have been studied, but so far decisive No means have been found.

An attempt to capture space debris with "membrane spaceship" thinner than human hair is in progress - GIGAZINE


As a solution to such a problem, researchers at the Air Force Engineering University in China have built a facility with laser irradiation facilities in space, studied the method of "blowing off" by irradiating space rubbish, and published the thesis It is.

Byjeanbaptisteparis Follow

The title of the paper is "Impacts of orbital elements of space-based laser station on small scale space debris removal" (the influence of the orbital elements of the laser station placed in space on small scale space debris removal) Research has been carried out in mind that irradiation with a powerful laser beam causes a change in its orbital orbit and transitions to a dangerous orbit.

Among them, the research team is investigating the orbital change of the space debris by conducting numerical simulation. In case of irradiation with high power pulse laser and in case without irradiationOrbital elementAs a result of verifying whether it is possible to actually change the change by numerical simulation, the efficiency of removing space debris is determined byOrbital inclination angleAnd the position where its trajectory crosses the equatorial planeAscending intersection RHIt has been influenced by, and it has been derived that the laser station has the highest effect when having the same orbital inclination angle and ascending node RC.

Bymike

This result shows the possibility of removing space debris, which is a big "obstacle" both in name and space in space development, but on the other hand, concerns are also shown on that figure. Putting a huge laser irradiation facility in the universe may have a big result on the removal of space debris, while the facility is diverted to another use, that is to use for attacking normal satellites and spacecraft The possibility is not excluded. At the moment there are limited countries with the capacity to do space development, but the possibility that it will become a huge "space weapon" by arbitrary operation of the laser station by some of them is also zero It seems that attention is gathering also on the point that there is nothing.