Space Junk Project
Introduction
A paint flake traveling over 7 Km/s struck the thick
windshield of the space shuttle, inflicting significant damage. If this piece
of junk was larger – perhaps a bolt or a wrench – the damage could have been
severe enough to penetrate the windshield, killing all those on board and
possibly destroying the shuttle. A proposed solution to remove space junk includes
installing a balloon in a satellite to be deployed at the end of a mission to
lower the orbit to an altitude where the satellite will burn up. This would
completely destroy the craft and not pose a future impact hazard.
In this activity you will research the volume of space junk and propose a solution to cleaning up the debris.
In this activity you will research the volume of space junk and propose a solution to cleaning up the debris.
Design Brief
Gantt Chart
Decision Matrix
Examples of Space Junk Collisions
The first image shows the collision of a French satellite with a piece of debris from a destroyed French rocket from a decade earlier.
The second image is the Iridium 33 satellite being hit by an old Russian satellite.
The third image is the debris from a 2007 Chinese missile test colliding with a Russian satellite which caused complete destruction.
The second image is the Iridium 33 satellite being hit by an old Russian satellite.
The third image is the debris from a 2007 Chinese missile test colliding with a Russian satellite which caused complete destruction.
Sketches
Final Sketch
3-D Model
Conclusion Questions
Explain
a major deterrent for amassing space junk:
One of the main challenges for collecting space junk is the amount of it. There are hundreds of thousands floating pieces of debris that vary in size and composition, all circulating different areas of outer space. Most space junk is less than 1 centimeter which is still necessary to collect because of the extensive damage it can cause. Other problems are; finding areas to place the collected debris, how to go up without causing more pollution, and ways to collect the varying sized debris.
Describe a viable system to protect a space craft from space junk:
One possible solution to protecting a space craft is by using a more durable outer shell. Though it will add much more weight to the system, it will ensure the safety of the crew and the space craft. The shell will be strong enough to deflect the small pieces of space debris as well as the large debris.
One of the main challenges for collecting space junk is the amount of it. There are hundreds of thousands floating pieces of debris that vary in size and composition, all circulating different areas of outer space. Most space junk is less than 1 centimeter which is still necessary to collect because of the extensive damage it can cause. Other problems are; finding areas to place the collected debris, how to go up without causing more pollution, and ways to collect the varying sized debris.
Describe a viable system to protect a space craft from space junk:
One possible solution to protecting a space craft is by using a more durable outer shell. Though it will add much more weight to the system, it will ensure the safety of the crew and the space craft. The shell will be strong enough to deflect the small pieces of space debris as well as the large debris.