JAXA's "Konotori" Space debris collection experiment.Unfortunately it ends in a failure

Is the day when JAXA can have a debris section?

Do you know how many Space debris (space garbage) that are going around the earth now?Including small ones, it exceeds 200 million.These can collide with satellites and space stations, causing significant damage.In addition, there is a terrible risk of Keslacindrome, which was handled in the movie "Zero Gravity" and the manga "Planetes".This is a phenomenon in which a new debris occurs in the debris collision and grows in a chain.If left alone, debris will continue to increase.Space debris measures are essential for future space development!

In order to solve such a major problem in the universe, our JAXA is conducting research day and night.And this time, we conducted a space debris collection experiment using the space station supply machine "Konotori No. 6" ... but unfortunately it was a failure.

JAXA experimented with a debris removal system using a device called "Conductive Teser".This is a method of attaching a cable called a metal tether to the space debris to reduce the speed of movement, and burns into the atmosphere of the earth to burn it.The tethers are made of stainless steel and aluminum, and when they grow in outer space, the current flows due to the global magnetic field.As a result, the tether is generated in the tether in the opposite direction of the travel direction.For this reason, debris with tethers gradually decelerates, eventually entering the atmosphere of the earth and burns out.In this experiment, the tethers were launched from Kotori No. 6 to confirm their effectiveness.

However, in the demonstration experiment, there was a problem in the system that caused the tethers, and recovery work was carried out over many days, but eventually it was interrupted.Koichi Inoue, the director of the project, is a press conference.

I say.It seems that it is currently investigating the cause, but it seems that one of the bolts that fixed the end -mass was not separated.But it did not completely fail.Experiments that create and control electricity from earth magnetic fields, which are the liver of the debris removal system, have been conducted using the aircraft of this.It seems that the effectiveness of the debris collection system technology has been successfully proven.

The experiment of Kotori No. 6 is just one of JAXA's Space Deburi measures. JAXA has been conducting measures for Space Deveni from four perspectives: observation, modeling, defense, and prevention of occurrence. First of all, the "observation" of Space debris. Until now, the U.S. has grasped Space debris, but now JAXA is also observing debris using optical telescopes. Next, "modeling". We have developed a "debris transition model" that predicts how debris distribution changes, and predicts future debris damage. No matter how much you know debris, the collision is inevitable. For this reason, we also take measures against "defense" when debris collides. We carry out ultra -high -speed collision tests on the ground to make lightweight and flexible defenses. In order to prevent more debris, we have developed a "debris removal system" like this experiment, and in the 2020s we aim to commercialize debris removal in a global framework.

Space debris collection business drawn in "Planetes".It may be JAXA that performs it before the world.Expect the success of the experiment in the future.

Read more: Factory, ballpoint pen, trash mountains.How much is the mass of humanity left on the earth?

Image: JAXASOURCE: JAXA 1, 2, 3, AFP VIA The Guardian Reference: JAXA 1, 2, ESA

George Dvorsky --Gizmodo US [Original] (SHUN)