MMOD risk is one subject I don't read about being covered nearly enough from space elevator proponents. An elevator is a sitting duck, unable to avoid anything (a thin sitting duck, but one nonetheless).
Quote from: MKremer on 03/04/2009 03:04 amAnyway, my totally pie-in-the-sky idea uses a very thick, massive Orion-class baseplate disk (the nuclear bomb-type Orion design), but much larger.I don't see why it should be *that* thick. I bet a ~1mm thick metallic plate will do a lot of damage to any "small" debris (say under 5 cm). A 1mm thick plate is much more feasible.1mm is just a ballpark figure. Optimal thickness, layering and composition need to be optimized for maximum energy transfer to the impacting debris.
Anyway, my totally pie-in-the-sky idea uses a very thick, massive Orion-class baseplate disk (the nuclear bomb-type Orion design), but much larger.
Quote from: rklaehn on 03/03/2009 07:13 amNope. Because when you incident explode/vaporize/shatter the parts, they emerge at a 180 degree distribution, so in order to gaurantee that you reduce orbital velocity to all components, you have to hit edge on.
Nope. Because when you incident explode/vaporize/shatter the parts, they emerge at a 180 degree distribution, so in order to gaurantee that you reduce orbital velocity to all components, you have to hit edge on.
It needs to be thick and massive - it's meant to 'sweep up' *all* debris, from micron-sized paint flecks on up to spent rocket stages, dead sats, and other larger remains and various orbital debris.(which is why I mentioned it would be a risk to *anything* not able to move out of the way by itself)
A modest upgrade of USAF computers (perhaps only software upgrade will suffice) will get you automatic warning of any collision danger from these.
Quote from: gospacex on 03/05/2009 10:36 pmA modest upgrade of USAF computers (perhaps only software upgrade will suffice) will get you automatic warning of any collision danger from these.Incorrect. You have no comprehsion of the issues. It has nothing to do with software or computing power. It is tracking assets and and frequency and visibility to those assets
Perhaps you might want to do a little work on your own, in particular look at the effectiveness of YAG lasers used in manufacturing, to get some idea of what is required at 10mm distance to vaporize metal, then apply this to meters or kilometers, to get an idea of the issues involved.
1. Is there any study being done to find some way to attract the debris to a certain point or orbit? 2. Apart from altering its speed and orbit, what else could be used to bring the debris under our control?3. Is there any small area or areas that can be said "x amount of debris will pass this area in x amount of time" ?4. What other questions need to be addressed to start someone thinking of a solution?
What happens if my system has an effective aperture of hundreds of kilometers?
An aperture of hundreds of kilometers might be a little technically challenging... I think the biggest aperture you can realistically build is about 10m, like the biggest optical telescopes existing today.
But anyway, the boeing YAL-1 (if it works) is an existence proof that it is possible to focus laser light over several 100km even if the sender is in the atmosphere.
I do not think adding debris is the way to go. Unless an object is under our direct control that we can change direction and orbit manually our selves then we would in effect only be adding to the problem we are trying to eliminate.
There is no reasonable cost way of sweeping space clean
Best answer is don't dirty it.
If you must play with ray guns, an on orbit particle beam weapon might get you enough vapor pressure to matter, the troubles are: beam coherence (e.g. distance), beam current (accelerator weight/power), wiggler/buncher - to avoid charge dissipation/impedance issues(size).Also superpowers would blame it every time their satellite would die - witness Russians blaming Orbital Express (obviously it sabotaged things ...).
Quote from: rklaehn on 03/07/2009 06:43 pmBut anyway, the boeing YAL-1 (if it works) is an existence proof that it is possible to focus laser light over several 100km even if the sender is in the atmosphere.It is also a chemical laser that only has enough chemicals to fire twenty times before it has to land and be loaded up again.