Space junk is becoming an emergent issue as more and more nations launch expeditions to space. These constitute the orbital debris that pose serious threats to spacecrafts. They now number more than 500,000 and have speeds that could reach 17,500 mph, according to NASA. To help eliminate this problem, Chinese researchers have unveiled a plan to develop a space robotic technology that could purportedly clean up the mess.
Researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing are proposing a design concept of a machine that can gobble up space junk and convert them into fuel that would power its garbage collecting mission. The concept outlines a machine that can digest debris with the aid of laser technology, which will grind junk into fine powder, which is then converted into fuel once heated. The complete plan is posted at arXiv.
The Chinese space vacuum idea recalls a tiny robotic technology that eats pollution and uses the ingested waste as fuel to power its mission, as HNGN previously reported. However the case is, the concept is expected to help eliminate space junk. The current preferred solution involves vaporizing orbital debris with a laser ablation, MIT reported. However, this option cannot tackle junk that is smaller than 10 cm. This is now the area where the Chinese space vacuum can make a difference. It can augment the laser technology option to ensure that the space above Earth's orbit is spotless once again.
