This Satellite Net Is Cleaning Up Space Junk

Space junk is increasingly becoming a big problem for the future of spaceflight, but RemoveDEBRIS is trying to come up with a solution. During a cleanup test that took place in September, the project, led by the University of Surrey, successfully deployed a net which captured a piece of debris that was orbiting around Earth.

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[ablebaker]

Unfortunately a piece as small as the head of an exploding bolt presents a catastrophic hazard.

We might want to begin designing satellites to "retire" themselves out of orbit and wrap them in their own body bag to prevent them from shedding scraps in case they collide with something during their service life.

[dizzyloops]

Next level waste management, thanks for being the silent heroes of our planet guys!

[carrief]

"Research is 50 years ahead of public awareness..."

[davesworld]

Can the debris be captured and recycled in space? Less to launch into space. Made in Space is a company that has a goal to reuse space junk to manufacture items in space.

[documentaryunwind]

Me when I was 10 years old:
“I WANT TO BE AN ASTRONAUT
Me when I was 18 years old:
“After watching this video”
Me: BUT....Why...How?

[mateusspencer]

it's a good start, we just need more people and all the space companies to collaborate and to focus on this problem!
It would be better if a big satellite was built on low earth orbit.
This Satelite would be solar powered, be used as a hub to pursue junk and it would be able to be restocked.
From there other smaller and cheaper probes could be sent to track debris and slow it down with a sail. If the probes are small and cheap enough you could send many of them up on a single launch.
Thank you for your efforts but no one will agree to destroy an expensive satellite for the sake of some junk or some catastrophe they think will never happen.

[ulhasg]

What happened if a large magnet placed rather than net.is it attracts metal pieces
And we collect it in huge amount in single launch.

[StMonts]

These space junks should be cleaned up by those who are responsible. Don’t leave your mess in space as you are leaving your mess on earth.

[KydLoky]

This is what I thought of before knowing that other people also thought about it ... spaceship with huge net clearing space debris

[potato]

don't let it burn up, capture it and melt it down in space and reuse it.

[kratos]

Supposed to picture nothing isn't possible to fly around Earth.

[IberianCraftsman]

a big net full of magnets would be nice, what i dont get is why the hell they are using rockets when they could use the H.A.R.P cannon and make it way cheaper.

then all kinds of small fragments would get stuck to the magnet net and eventually get pulled by Earth's atmospherr

[timothyrayner]

This is a really good "First Project". Dealing with the larger pieces of Debris in LEO will have a significant effect as these larger chunks will then not be able to bash each other to bits.

A good next-stage project would be to make some kind of automated robotic device to scoop up or clump together smaller bits of debris. This would not be an easy task at the speeds or sizes we're talking about. The other option would be for it to target groups of small space debris and find a way to decelerate them. It's a shame that experiments in 'tractor beams' have only been able to move matter at an atomic scale and at distances of nanometres.

[v.prestorpnrcrtlcrt]

Collect them. Keep them up there. Recycle up there. Make an Orbital Ring. Better than tossing things at the earth.

[athorionbelussion]

need to get that space junk cleaned up and recyceld and for safety at flying up and down from space and orbit.

[SukacitaYeremia]

Imma leave a like for appreciation and support...

[pablopaul]

What if it fails.... Seems like a very dumb idea.
How are they gonna catch the tiny pieces? You should encourage better technology than a fish net in space.

[JJs_playground]

What are we going to do about the big stuff that can't burn up in the atmosphere?

[SkylarsTerribleMemes]

how about yoinking the net back onto a reusable spacecraft and bringing the satellite home to melt it down and recycle it

[nickkorkodylas]

Instead of trying to grab the debris why don't you just put a series of large area sails that will also coilide with microdebris?