Earth’s orbit is full of garbage (which we put there ourselves) and cleaning up the space around our planet has become a real challenge for the future. Doing this cleaning using ferromagnetic plates isn’t entirely new – startup Astroscale is already testing it – but a University of Utah researcher has discovered a method of manipulating orbiting debris with magnets. rotating which would allow, in addition to moving the scrap, to repair defective objects to extend its life.
With satellites launched into Earth orbit since 1957, there are over 27,000 space debris – mostly pieces of spacecraft, rocket parts and satellites that are no longer in use – bigger than a bullet. baseball currently in orbit around Earth, according to NASA.
These objects are considered a serious problem by space agencies because they pose a high risk of collision and can reach speeds of up to 29,000 km / h, fast enough for a small piece to damage a satellite or spacecraft. spatial.
University of Utah mechanical engineering professor Jake J. Abbott and his team have developed rotating magnet technology that can be coupled to robots and can smoothly move waste through one or more decaying orbit. far in space without actually touching them. . The research was detailed in an article published this month in the scientific journal nature.
The concept is to move non-magnetized metallic objects in space with rotating magnets. When the debris is subjected to a changing magnetic field, electrons circulate inside the metal in circular loops, “like when you shake your coffee mug and it spins,” says Abbott. The process turns the fragment into an electromagnet that creates enough torque and force to allow it to be steered without being physically touched.
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As I explained earlier, the idea is not new. But Abbott and his team found that using multiple magnetic field sources in a coordinated fashion allows objects to move in six degrees of motion, including their rotation. Before, we only knew how to move them in a single degree of movement, that is to say push them. “What we wanted to do was manipulate the objects, not just push them,” adds the researcher.
The new technique makes it possible, for example, to confine damaged satellites that spin uncontrollably to repair them, which would not have been possible before. “You have to take this crazy object floating in space and put it in a position where it can be manipulated by a robot arm,” says Abbott. “But if it gets out of hand, you could break the robot’s arm, which would only create more debris.” “
Currently, the projects underway are to send missions into space to collect some of this debris, some expensive materials used in the construction of rockets and satellites, to reuse it here on Earth. “NASA tracks thousands of space debris like air traffic controllers track planes. You have to know where they are because you might run into them accidentally, ”says Abbott. “The government of the United States and the governments of the world are aware of this problem because there are more and more of these things piling up with each passing day,” says the researcher.
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