Astronomy / Space Harpoon Successfully Spears Space Junk in Experiment to Clean Up Debris Orbiting Earth

[Manticore]

A spacecraft has successfully fired a harpoon into a target orbiting Earth in an operation that could help clean up the tonnes of space junk threatening telecommunications satellites.


The RemoveDEBRIS spacecraft shot at a planted satellite panel, with researchers celebrating the bullseye this week.

https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/world/2019/02/17/harpoon-space-junk-experiment-earth/

 

[Patrick_68000]

Excellent! Another few thousand and we are clean.

 

[Zak Gordon]

Super cool! This has to be a great motivator for near space activity and cleaning up all the junk

 

[moorison]

Still a lot of cleaning up to do, but it is a start. It is not like there won't be any new satellites going into orbit.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Still a lot of cleaning up to do, but it is a start. It is not like there won't be any new satellites going into orbit.

A start without End ?

 

[moorison]

Maybe it would be smarter to collect this stuff and keep it in orbit, for building scrappy rockets or something else. Less material to shoot costly into space [big grin].

 

[Stigbob]

Hang on what happens to the bits of the rocket used to get the space-roomba up there.

 

[moorison]

Hang on what happens to the bits of the rocket used to get the space-roomba up there.

I guess the major parts are supposed to fall towards Earth already.
Space-roomba, nice idea. I lean towards orbital WALL-E right now, since the project seems more sisyphean with each new post.

 

[Patrick_68000]

Clean Up Debris could become a new paid profession in ED.

 

[metatheurgist]

Clean Up Debris could become a new paid profession in ED.

I actually suggested that in beta.

 

[Patrick_68000]

I actually suggested that in beta.

Good ideas never die.

 

[saiyuki]

One day it will happen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DakRYsUIiIE

Regards

 

[Caramel Clown]

Wait, why is debris in capital letters? Is this another one of those needless abbreviations that suppose to make things sound cooler than they are?

 

[Patrick_68000]

Wait, why is debris in capital letters? Is this another one of those needless abbreviations that suppose to make things sound cooler than they are?

Perhaps to emphasize on the harmful aspect of these things ?

 

[AkenBosch]

Somewhat relevant to the thread (and highly suggested if you are in the genre too)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planetes