The pioneering space experiences will be the ultimate voyage to encounter new planets around distant stars. Theirs will be the journey into the extraordinary. On distant planets are incandescent storms big enough to swallow the earth. Bolts of lightning thousands of miles long. Raging infernos of toxic gas. Inconceivable violence and terrifying extremes. These are the planets from hell.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Space Junk HD
Swiss Space Center at EPFL's the "CleanSpace One" project. The aim is to design and build a satellite that will chase, grab and destroy a space debris - namely one of the first Swiss satellites, Swisscube-1 or TIsat-1.
After its launch, the cleanup satellite will have to adjust its trajectory in order to match its target's orbital plane. To do this, it could use a new kind of ultra-compact motor designed for space applications that is being developed in EPFL laboratories. When it gets within range of its target, which will be traveling at 28,000 km/h at an altitude of 630-750 km, CleanSpace One will grab and stabilize it -- a mission that's extremely dicey at these high speeds, particularly if the satellite is rotating. To accomplish the task, scientists are planning to develop a gripping mechanism inspired from a plant or animal example. Finally, once it's coupled with the satellite, CleanSpace One will "de-orbit" the unwanted satellite by heading back into the Earth's atmosphere, where the two satellites will burn upon re-entry.
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