Electrostatic “Tractor Beams” being developed to remove space debris from orbit(phys.org)
phys.org
Electrostatic “Tractor Beams” being developed to remove space debris from orbit
https://phys.org/news/2023-06-space-tractor-sci-fi.html
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I hope this facilitates some kind of recycling and resource recovery.
key paragraphs as tl;dr
> In a simple sense, he explained, the team's concept for an "electrostatic tractor" works a bit like rubbing a balloon on your head to make your hair stand on end. First, a servicing ship would approach a derelict satellite from a distance of about 15 to 25 meters (49 to 89 feet), then zap it with a beam of electrons. Those electrons would give the space debris a negative charge, while making the servicer more positive.
> "With that attractive force, you can essentially tug away the debris without ever touching it," Hammerl said. "It acts like what we call a virtual tether."
> It seems to work, too. Based on experiments in ECLIPS and computer models, the researchers calculate that an electrostatic tug could pull a satellite weighing several tons about 200 miles in two to three months. That's a sluggish pace, but good enough to remove what are essentially glorified paperweights from precious orbital slots.
> In a simple sense, he explained, the team's concept for an "electrostatic tractor" works a bit like rubbing a balloon on your head to make your hair stand on end. First, a servicing ship would approach a derelict satellite from a distance of about 15 to 25 meters (49 to 89 feet), then zap it with a beam of electrons. Those electrons would give the space debris a negative charge, while making the servicer more positive.
> "With that attractive force, you can essentially tug away the debris without ever touching it," Hammerl said. "It acts like what we call a virtual tether."
> It seems to work, too. Based on experiments in ECLIPS and computer models, the researchers calculate that an electrostatic tug could pull a satellite weighing several tons about 200 miles in two to three months. That's a sluggish pace, but good enough to remove what are essentially glorified paperweights from precious orbital slots.
"Space is big, really big."