Space Debris Removal: A Technological and Political Overview
- Paper number
IAC-11,A6,5,12,x9359
- Author
Ms. Whitney Lohmeyer, MIT, United States
- Coauthor
Mr. Zack Hester, North Carolina State University, United States
- Year
2011
- Abstract
With hundreds of thousands of debris varying in shape and size, the task of removal requires a complex technological procedure that must also involve political cooperation amongst many nations. This paper reviews four approaches pertaining to space debris mitigation and explores them in a technological and political manner. The first method proposed is the installation of a ground-based laser that could reach small particles and ablate their leading edge so that they will enter into the atmosphere and disintegrate. Another alternative is a spacecraft equipped with a propulsion system that could readily collect the debris and transport it to lower earth orbits. A third solution is the implementation of an automated recycling facility in space that could melt the space debris using solar power. The fourth, and perhaps most viable option is the implementation of the Electro Dynamics Debris Eliminator (EDDE), which is a propellantless vehicle that can rid space of debris larger than two kilograms over a three-year span; thus, providing the potential to improve the space debris problem in both an efficient and timely manner, while being internationally agreeable. This paper also suggests alternative policy solutions including short and long term plans of improved tracking techniques and binding international agreements.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
(absent)