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Outline

• Introduction
• Types of Orbits
• Sources of Debris
• Tracking and Measurement
of Debris.
• Mitigation of Space Debris.
• Conclusion.

Source: www.universetoday.com
Space Debris
Space Debris

Defunct objects in space


• Unused satellites & rocket stages
• Fragments from explosions &
collisions
• Released object (tools etc.)
• Slag of solid-fueled rockets
• … and other sources of small
particles

Source:www.esa.int
Categorization :
• Category I (<1cm) - They can make significant damage to
vulnerable parts of a satellite.

• Category II (1-10cm) - They tend to seriously damage or destroy a


satellite in a collision.

• Category III (>10cm) – They may completely destroy a satellite in a


collision and can be tracked easily.
About 50 Years of Space Flight

• Almost 5,000 rockets launched

• More than 6,000 satellites placed in orbit

• About 1,000 active satellites today


(that’s 7% of known objects in orbit)
TYPES OF ORBIT
• Low Earth Orbit.
• Medium Earth Orbit.
• Geostationary Orbit.
• High Earth Orbit.
Lower Orbit
300 – 2000 km

Geostationary Orbit
≈36,000 km
Space Debris

February 2009:
Collision
Iridium-33 &
Kosmos-2251

January 2007:
FengYun-1C

SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Chinese_anti-satellite_missile_test
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_satellite_collision
Space Debris

Fengyun-1C debris one month Iridium-33 & Kosmos-2251:


after its disintegration Debris fields after 50 minutes

Source:en.wikipedia.org Source:en.Wikipedia.org
16,300 Objects in Catalogue

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
29,000 Objects Larger than 10 cm

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
750,000 Objects Larger than 1 cm

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
150M Objects Larger than 1 mm

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
Impact
Laboratory Impact Aluminum Sphere / Block

SOURCE:www.techinasia.com
Impact
Real Debris Object on a Satellite Solar Panel

SOURCE:www.esa.int
Distribution of Space Debris

Many Earth Observation


Satellites (e.g., Envisat)

TerraSAR-X
ISS

Source: NASA Orbital Debris Quarterly News 2/2012


ttps://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/621646793571479556
http://rbth.com/news/2015/07/26/iss_successfully_ducks_from_space_debris_48023.html
Detecting Space Debris

Optical Radar Laser

Sources: FhG FHR, AIUB, ESA


TRACKING AND MEASUREMENT
OF SPACE DEBRIS
Tracking of Space Debris-

Radio waves have been recently used. These waves are


transmitted into space and they bounce off of space junk back to
the origin that will detect and track the object.
Some of the modules used were:
LDEF(Long Duration Exposure Facility) satellite
EURECA(European Retrievable Carrier)
Operational Collision Avoidance
Global network for monitoring the geostationary ring

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
Object Identification with Optical Measurements

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
Mitigation of Space Debris
“CLEARANCE OF SPACE DEBRIS”
DIFFERENT METHODS

• Tug-like satellites
• Electro dynamic tethers
• LASER beam
• Solar Sail
• Collectors

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
Tug- like satellite

• The tug like satellites drag the debris to a safe altitude in


order for it to burn up in the atmosphere .

• It creates an electron emission to create a difference in


potential between the debris as negative and itself as
positive .

• The satellite then uses its own thrusters to propel itself


along with the debris to a safer orbit .
ELECTRO DYNAMIC TETHERS

• One of the latest


developments in the space
junk removal program is
that of the introduction of
the electrodynamics tether.
• This is a conducting wire
i.e., several tens of
kilometers in length and is
controlled by a spacecraft.
LASER BEAM

• By using a highly intense laser beam we can slow down


the debris thereby allowing it to reenter earth’s
atmosphere.
• With continued application the debris will eventually
decrease their altitude enough to become subject to
atmospheric drag.

• Mainly the LASER based techniques are two types.


1. Ground based LASER technique.
2. Space based LASER technique.
SOLAR SAIL

• The solar sail uses the


pressure from sunlight to
navigate an object, just like a
naval sail uses wind.

• This way debris can be


navigated out of orbit and
burn into atmosphere

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
COLLECTOR SATELLITE

• The most commonly used


collector satellite is the
Sling Sat.
• It has two extended arms
which collect the debris as
it is in motion.

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
IMPLEMENTATION

• Tether was launched on Feb


28,2014 as a secondary
payload aboard an H-2A
rocket.
• CLEANSPACE is a 3 year
project, began on 1st June
2011
• NASA tested LASER broom
capable of removing Debris in
the path of ISS on the space
shuttle mission in 2003.
SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
Contd…

• An early prototype of L’Garde


solar sail is evaluated at the
NASA in November 2014.

• TAMU Space sweeper with


Sling-sat was developed by
scientists at Texas A&M.

SOLAR SAIL

SOURCE: en.Wikipedia.org
CONCLUSION

More Research and development


Guidelines by IADC- Inter Agency Space Debris
Coordination Committee
Implementation.
References-:

• Andrew M. Bradley , Lawrence M. Wein Space Debris:Assessing risk


and responsibility 0273-1177,2009.
• King-hele, D. Theory of Satellite Orbits in an Atmosphere. Blackie,
Glascow and London, 1964.
• Prasad, M.Y.S. Technical and legl issues surrounding space debris –
India’s position in the UN. Space Policy 21, 243-249, 2005.
• Perman, R., Ma, Y., McGilvray, J., Common, M. Natural Resource and
Environmental Economics, third ed Pearson Education Ltd. Harlow,
UK, 2003.
Thank You!

Questions?
Measurement of Space Debris

• Returned hardware of space debris is a valuable source of


information of the environment .
• Close examination of its surfaces allows an analysis of the
directional distribution and composition of the debris flux .
• Some of the modules used were :
• LDEF (Long duration exposure facility ) satellite
• EURECA ( European Retrievable carrier )
• STS-61 Endeavour
• STS-109 Columbia

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