Stephanie Soquet’s Post

Scientists plan to shoot down orbital space debris using laser What scientists have not proposed to combat the clouds of space debris enveloping our planet! Ideas have been put forward to use special nets and even lasso to catch dead satellites and other rubbish that only interfere with the work of specialists in orbit. But a new project by scientists from the Japanese research institute Riken sounds the most ambitious compared to other ideas. It involves using a powerful laser to knock debris out of orbit. According to average estimates, there are about 3,000 tons of space debris in the orbit of our planet. According to the project of Japanese specialists, if you install a powerful fiber-optic laser on the International Space Station, this problem can be solved quite quickly. In words, the plan is not so complicated. It is necessary to use the infrared telescope remaining from the EUSO space observatory to search for space debris in Earth's orbit. Then comes the CAN fiber laser, which is commonly used in particle accelerators. The laser beam should change the flight path of the piece of debris, after which it will enter the planet s atmosphere and burn up in it. Japanese scientists claim that the accuracy of such a system will be so high that it will be possible to shoot down even objects just 1 square centimeter in size. The Riken University team published part of their findings in the journal Acta Astronautica. Their next step will be an attempt to install a 20-centimeter telescope and a 100-fiber laser on the ISS. If the experiment demonstrates the validity of the Japanese theory, a full-size laser installation will be installed on the ISS to destroy space debris. And its dimensions will be much larger than the experimental one. The telescope will already have a diameter of 3 meters, and the laser will consist of 10,000 fibers. With such a laser gun it will be possible to shoot down debris at a distance of up to 100 kilometers from the space station. Theoretically, in the future it is possible to launch a separate spacecraft into orbit, which will purposefully clear the space around the Earth of debris. If you've read the article this far please like and subscribe - it really helps the channel. Open the link to find thousands of interesting articles: https://lnkd.in/dYdAdmgE #nikolaysgeneticslessons

🗑️ In this excellent analysis, the risk of orbital debris is laid out plainly: "In February 2024, a 35-year-old Russian spy satellite and a 25-year-old NASA scientific satellite came alarmingly close to collision, missing each other by just 33 feet—the length of a school bus. This close call, which could have resulted in thousands of pieces of debris and posed significant risks to all satellites in orbit..." To have an effective space traffic management (STM), orbital debris removal and recycling must include significant consideration and investment. Enter: the need for more robust #ISAM 🦾 utilization, something 🌌COSMIC members are working hard to advance everyday. Read more in Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS):

🌌🔭 ESA's Fast-class mission #ARRAKIHS surpasses the Payload Phase A in record time✨ 📷 The European Space Agency - ESA approved the completion of the Payload/Instrument Phase A, marking a critical milestone for the #ARRAKIHS mission consortium led by Instituto de Física de Cantabria (IFCA, CSIC-UC). This achievement enables the Payload, the brain of ARRAKIHS consisting of two visible and two infrared cameras developed by SATLANTIS, to advance to Phase B. The mission's sights are set to 2030, when the ARRAKIHS cameras will study galaxies akin to the Milky Way, at remarkably low surface brightness levels, from a satellite orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 800 km. 🛰️ 🔎 Read the whole press release: https://lnkd.in/dhHwgH9j #ESA #SpaceExploration #DarkMatter #SpaceCameras 📷 Image of stellar tidal streams observed from ground-based observatories - Credit: David Martínez-Delgado/Giuseppe Donatiello

"Analyzing #samples retrieved from the #asteroid #Ryugu by the Japanese Space Agency's #Hayabusa2 spacecraft has revealed new insights into the magnetic and physical bombardment environment of interplanetary space. The results of the study, carried out by Professor Yuki Kimura at Hokkaido University and co-workers at 13 other institutions in Japan, are published in the journal Nature Communications.... Read & learn more https://lnkd.in/e8NMVXQ9 Provided by #HokkaidoUniversity paper https://lnkd.in/eWwiyNsc "Nonmagnetic framboid and associated iron nanoparticles with a space-weathered feature from #asteroidRyugu" #JAXA #space #weathering #spaceweathering #Extraterrestrial #minerals

M-MATISSE: A New Frontier in Understanding Mars' Ionosphere, Thermosphere and Magnetosphere   The European Space Agency - ESA announced in November 2023 that the Mars-Magnetosphere ATmosphere Ionosphere and Space-weather SciencE (M-MATISSE) mission is one of three concepts chosen for a 3-year Phase A study. M-MATISSE, if selected, will be launched as ESA's seventh medium-sized mission (M7) in 2037 under the Voyage 2050 plan.   Led by the University of Leicester, M-MATISSE aims to revolutionize our understanding of the complex interactions between Mars' magnetosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere, and the solar wind. The mission will consist of two orbiters, affectionately named Henri and Marguerite after the French artist Henri Matisse and his daughter, which will provide the first global characterization of the Martian system dynamics at different altitudes.   The M-MATISSE consortium is an international team supported by the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and other European agencies, as well as Japanese and American partners. M-MATISSE two orbiters with focused, tailored, high-heritage payloads will observe the plasma environment from the surface to space through coordinated simultaneous observations. It will utilize a unique 3-vantage point observational perspective, with the combination of in-situ measurements by both orbiters and remote observations of the lower atmosphere and ionosphere by radio crosstalk between them.   M-MATISSE, if selected, has the potential to provide the first global characterization of the dynamics of the Martian system at all altitudes, to understand how the atmosphere dissipates the incoming energy from the solar wind, including radiation, as well as how different surface processes are affected by space weather activity.   Picture Source: University of Leicester - Simulations of the 2 satellites of M-MATISSE   #MarsExploration #SpaceWeather #MarsOrbiters #PlanetaryScience

ISRO ISRO - Indian Space Research Organization 1. Launch Date and Crew: STS-51-B, also known as Challenger mission STS-51-B, was launched on April 29.The crew consisted of eight members, including commander Robert F. Overmyer and pilot Frederick D. Gregory. 2. Payload Deployment: One of the main objectives of STS-51-B was to deploy two communications satellites, MORELOS-B and AUSSAT-1, into geostationary orbit. Additionally, the shuttle carried out experiments in materials processing, fluid dynamics, and astronomy. 3. First Spacelab Mission: STS-51-B marked the first flight of the European Space Agency's Spacelab module, a laboratory that provided additional space for scientific experiments in the shuttle's cargo bay. The module allowed for a variety of scientific research to be conducted in the microgravity environment of space. 4. Duration and Landing: The mission lasted for approximately 7 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes, and 31 seconds, during which the crew performed a range of scientific experiments and satellite deployments. Challenger landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California on May 6, 1985. 5.Legacy and Impact: STS-51-B contributed to advancements in various scientific fields, including materials science, astronomy, and telecommunications. It demonstrated the capabilities of the Space Shuttle program in supporting a wide range of scientific research and satellite deployment missions. #isro #isroindia #isromissions

Tiangong versus ISS which name is better ? A general update on the space race between China and the U.S./ Russia. Plus breaking news this week, with the launch of Shenzhou-18 mission from the Gansu province. The 'competition' is on one side the United states together with Russia and a few other countries working alongside to keep up with the Chinese space program rapid progession. Its interesting to note that Russia and the U.S., which are not in very good terms these days over Ukraine, nonetheless, it appears its business as usual in the space realm, is this possible? or is there something anachronistic here? Russia and the USA are in effect, in a contract for space collaboration until 2026. Sounds a little off to me, how about to you? So, a collaboration Russia and the USA at this juncture is 'ok', but with China its not ok. This stems from an american governmental decision of 2011! Would it not be wise to review/rethink this? Coming back to this week space launch from Gansu, the Shenzhou-18 mission is to reach the Tiangong space station which is orbiting earth at about 425 km versus the ISS ('International' Space Station) which is orbiting at about 400km. I put the word international in quotation marks because international should mean international and, for now, it's not. On the other hand, Tiangong translated in english means something like celestial palace. Humm, not sure its a palace! living in very cramped and smelly quarters. Its not the kind of palace I personally fancy, but anyway, it's the name so far, albeit the view must be pretty good! So to summarize, I would think some joint rethinking and renaming in space station names may be a first good, small first step, to get more conscious, real and collaborative regarding space exploration. A kind of space exploration and colonization which would be better for as many of earth's citizens as possible. 

TBIRD, a satellite that achieved record-breaking data transmission speeds, completes its mission • TBIRD, a satellite developed by NASA, has successfully completed its mission after two years of operation in low-Earth orbit. The satellite demonstrated the potential of laser communications for high-speed data transmission from space. • TBIRD achieved a record-breaking data downlink speed of 200 gigabits per second, transmitting 4.8 terabytes of data in just five minutes. This data transmission rate is equivalent to downloading 2,400 hours of high-definition video in a matter of minutes. • The satellite accomplished this feat while traveling at an incredible speed of 17,000 mph (27,300 kph), showcasing its ability to maintain a stable laser link connection despite the challenges of orbital motion and atmospheric drag. • TBIRD's success opens up new possibilities for future space missions, enabling faster and more efficient communication with spacecraft over long distances. NASA plans to continue developing laser communication technologies and incorporate them into upcoming missions, such as the Psyche spacecraft heading to a distant asteroid and the Artemis II crewed flight to the Moon. • The satellite's achievements demonstrate the potential of laser communications to revolutionize space exploration by providing high-speed data transmission capabilities that can support advanced scientific research, real-time monitoring, and future human missions to deep space. https://lnkd.in/d33JE7gS

Ever wonder what happens when a satellite loses its orbit??? In the 'biz' (...aerospace industry 😉) this is referred to as an "uncontrolled re-entry," in which non-navigable astronomical objects fail to maintain their orbit around the Earth and enter the atmosphere. This happens much more than you might think! In fact, according to Nature Astronomy, over 70% of the more than 1,500 rocket bodies from space launches over the past 30 years that have deorbited have done so in an uncontrolled manner. That's nearly one per week! As a recent example (Feb. 21, 2024), Europe's ERS-2 climate satellite recently burnt up over the Pacific Ocean in an uncontrolled reentry after spending 30 years in orbit. Thankfully, much effort has been, and continues to be invested by talented engineers and scientists around the globe into designing and constructing space vehicles in a manner that allows them to burn up almost entirely in the atmosphere! This is an extremely important part of the many space projects! #aerospace #engineering #knowledgerecovery *Image credit: European Space Agency (ESA)

Fragmentation characterization in the circular restricted three body problem for cislunar space domain awareness - Abstract : "With heightened international interest in spacecraft activities in the vicinity of the Moon, cislunar space debris is likely to follow. Even one fragmentation event can have catastrophic and far-reaching consequences, which drives the need for appropriate debris characterization tools. How a single fragmentation plays out is highly dependent on any given initial condition in the near-chaotic cislunar region. This paper offers a means of structuring the cislunar region in terms of dynamical flow, which enables global characterization of fragmentation events without propagation of every possible case. This work investigates patterns in fragment behaviour as a function of energy, Δ𝑣, and orbit location, and explores emergent dynamic structures in the vicinity of the Earth-Moon 𝐿2 Lagrange point. Subsequent findings are applied to analysis of a realistic breakup event for a 500 kg satellite on an 𝐿2 Lyapunov orbit with a Jacobi constant of 3.0165, modeled using an in–house modified version of the NASA Standard Breakup Model." https://lnkd.in/eqVsiFuN