Garbage cleaning laser

2000/11/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Astronautika

Like on earth, the garbage in heaven is an increasingly serious problem. NASA researchers fear that waste orbiting around the Earth can damage the International Space Station and propose the laser as a protection system.

The components of the International Space Station are hidden against objects of less than one centimeter in size and can be detected and avoided in time from Earth above 10 centimeters. The average size is dangerous. NASA has launched the Orio project to build a laser that detects particles between 1 and 10 centimeters.

At the moment they have tested the laser of a Megawatt and have obtained better results than expected. The laser stops objects and modifies their orbits. A sufficient reduction in velocity also means the entry of objects into the atmosphere and its destruction. For the moment it has only been used on Earth, but for 2003 tests will be carried out in space. For their part, American researchers see behind the Orion project the ghost of defense systems against missiles and satellites. Wolf of sheep's skin?