Technology niche
HOW SPACEX STARSHIP COULD CLEAN UP SPACE JUNKS
We've all heard about Elon Musk's intentions to take humans to space via starship, but
we didn't realize he had broader ideas for space.
SpaceX and Elon Musk have recently been working on a different type of starship, and
this type isn't the typical starship designed to send humans to space, but rather this type
has a front truck that will store tons of space junk, as well as amazing tech features that
attract space garbage to itself.
Just as here on earth, the garbage truck is used to collect municipal solid waste, and
haul it to a waste treatment facility. A special type of SpaceX starship will operate
exactly same way but this time – in space.
When certain space bodies collide, they divide into tiny chunks of matter that fill up
other free space automatically. These space bodies are impediments to SpaceX's
starship, and since Elon Musk intends to launch hundreds of starships into space, there
is an undeniable need to clear up these trashes before SpaceX launches their starship
into space.
Welcome to Tech space, keep watching this video as we show you how spacex plans to
clean up trash from the space. Bet you won’t want to miss the mind-blowing feature of
the starship capable of attracting space junks to itself.
Before we get into the meat of this video, let's take a look at what space trash is
and why it's an issue for spacecrafts.
Humanity has been able to launch thousands of rockets, place satellites in orbit, and
reach new heights since the advent of the space age in the 1950s. However, in order to
advance further, we must maintain a space-worthy ecology.
Space companies has been making a mess in space for as long as humans have been
exploring there. Thousands of dead satellites orbit our globe, along with bits of debris
from all the rockets fired throughout the years. This could become a problem in the
future.
Any piece of machinery or debris left in space by humans is referred to as space
rubbish or space debris.
Large objects such as dead satellites that have failed or been left in orbit at the end of
their missions are examples of space junk or rubbish. It can also refer to smaller
objects, such as trash or paint particles that have fallen from a rocket. Some
human-made debris has also been discovered on the Moon.
Many researchers believe that space trash will represent a severe threat to humanity's
future exploration of the final frontier. According to the European Space Agency, there
are currently approximately 34,000 objects larger than 4 inches in diameter orbiting
around the Earth. Smaller particles are more difficult to detect, implying that there are
more of them residing in space.
Its quite important for us to also know the number of space junks in space.
While there are over 2,000 functioning satellites orbiting Earth at the moment, there are
also approximately 3,000 dead spacecraft polluting space. Also, there are around
34,000 bits of space debris larger than 10 centimeters in size and millions of smaller
particles that might be deadly if they collide with something else.
Because of the velocities involved, all of the debris would pack a punch. For example, at
the International Space Station's altitude of about 250 miles, bodies move at about
17,500 mph. So if these bodies happens to collide to each other, that will result to a big
space disaster.
Now, lets tell you how space junks get into space
The space junks that dominate in space are the product of various objects launched
from Earth, such as some of the objects that fly off the bodies of rockets as they
separate and do not fall back to Earth, but rather hang themselves somewhere in the
Earth's orbit and continue circling about the Earth.
Some objects in lower orbits of a few hundred kilometers or less can return relatively
fast. They frequently re-enter the atmosphere after a few years and, for the most part,
burn up, preventing them from reaching the ground. However, debris or satellites left at
higher altitudes of about 36,000 kilometers - where communications and weather
satellites are frequently deployed in geostationary orbit - can circle Earth for hundreds
or even thousands of years.
Some space debris are created as a result of collisions or anti-satellite tests in orbit.
When two satellites crash, they can shatter into thousands of new pieces, resulting in a
large number of new debris. Although it is unusual, numerous countries, including the
United States, China, and India, have deployed missiles - that may have one way or the
other destroyed the satellite. This results in the creation of thousands of additional
pieces of hazardous debris.
So how will these space junks affect space exploration?
According to space scientists, SpaceX has taken over Earth's lower orbit with its
enormous fleet of Starlink satellites.
The 1,657 satellites in lower orbit creates a very serious possibility of collision with other
spacecraft. Space scientists also hinted that SpaceX continues to plan 42,000 satellites
by 2027, the hazard and severity will increase.
The European Space Agency published a report on the hazards of space junk, claiming
that there is currently more space debris in our orbit than operating satellites.
According to the report's summary, our species' current behavior in terms of space is
"unsustainable."
If space companies do not adjust their attitudes regarding space-faring missions, it will
only be a matter of time until we can operate in free in space again unless we find a
long-term solution.
Even as we speak, Space Surveillance Networks can only track a portion of the space
junk orbiting the earth, which is estimated to be just over 28,600 garbage out of
hundreds of millions.
Fortunately, for the time being, space junk does not pose a significant risk to our
exploration endeavors; nevertheless, it does creates high risk to other spacecraft in
orbit.
To avoid being hit and perhaps damaged or destroyed, these spacecrafts must shift out
of the way of all this incoming space trash.
So here’s how SpaceX and Elon Musk plans to cleanup space junks:
Elon Musk, stated that the Starship's vehicle could use its movable door to "chomp up"
junk in orbit.
He previously tweeted that; "We can fly Starship about orbit & chew up debris with the
movable fairing door."
According to SpaceX's user documentation for the rocket system, the starship's fairing
door can open when it reaches a specific altitude in orbit, deploy spacecraft, then close
before returning to Earth.
Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX's president, has previously affirmed that Starship will assist
in picking up debris left in Earth's orbit and storing it in its cargo compartment until the
rocket returned to Earth.
It won't be easy, but the Starship will undoubtedly give the potential of cleaning the
space," she stated in an online interview with Time Magazine in October.
The costs of designing, constructing, and launching satellites is high, yet Earth's orbital
space lanes are becoming increasingly congested. The concern is that a collision or two
may start a space trash cascade, creating clouds of debris that will trigger more
collisions. If things become bad enough, this situation, known as the Kessler Syndrome,
might make it difficult to function in Earth orbit. Many advocates of space travel believe
that the spaceflight community should begin adopting mitigating measures immediately.
The danger is that one collision or two may start a space junk cascade, generating
clouds of debris that will induce more collisions. If things grow nasty enough, this
condition, known as the Kessler Syndrome, could make it difficult to function in Earth
orbit. Many advocates of space travel believe that the spaceflight community should
begin pursuing mitigating measures immediately.
With all the advent of new starship design spacex will be inventing for the world, the
dumpster starship will have a very different design, the structure and design may still be
modelled by spacex engineers, but trust spacex gets the best to put down no our sight
and we will never be disappointed. We may not have the same amount of confidence in
SpaceX to win their $2.89 billion contract as NASA did, but it demonstrates how
determined SpaceX is to see that their boasts about clearing up space debris come
true.
NASA, for example, picked a SpaceX rocket to put people on the Moon for the first time
in 45 years. On such trips, the rocket will serve as a lunar lander. Then NASA will
launch four astronauts into space on an Orion spacecraft propelled by the Space
Launch System rocket. Before reaching lunar orbit, the capsule will travel for several
days.
When the capsule reaches lunar orbit, it will meet with SpaceX's Starship, allowing two
people to transfer between the spacecraft. The lucky team will spend around a week on
the Moon's surface before boarding the lander and resuming their journey aboard the
Orion spacecraft.
That’s kind of a technical space travel, but that’s the best method to put astronauts on
the moon, without incurring system failures to the starship.
What’s your opinion on this, do you think spacex will really succeed in cleaning up
space junks in space?
Please do well to share your thoughts in the comment section below. Until next time,
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