nemom t1_jczrkrs wrote
> ...shows a low-cost way to reduce space junk
by becoming space junk.
malepitt t1_jczsmwf wrote
...by equipping their craft with a drag sail, deliberately designed to speed orbital decay. [Reading- how does it work?]
OneFutureOfMany t1_jd04fvb wrote
That has nothing to do with AA batteries.
Why spend $10k to launch a satellite who’s batteries (Energizer?) will die and leave it orbiting uselessly for 4.5 years?
But yeah a drag sail can reduce time in orbit.
I’m glad some students are getting some experience designing and launching satellites. It’ll be a major step for their careers.
nemom t1_jczyyr9 wrote
Sure, it proves you can shorten the time something is space junk by increasing its drag, but A) the engineers already knew that and 2) that does not mean it won't be space junk for the next five years.
mailslot t1_jd0x4qq wrote
And if it doesn’t deploy: space junk
DukeOfGeek OP t1_jczshku wrote
Tell us you didn't read the article without saying you didn't read the article.
nemom t1_jczyqqq wrote
I did read the article. It will orbit the planet for five years. The batteries will run out long before that, so it will be space junk most of its life. Yes, they are showing how increasing drag can shorten the time something is space junk, but it is still going to be space junk.
Stupid-Idiot-Balls t1_jd3ax9x wrote
Short lived space junk is not the problem and is never what astronomer/engineers talk about when they say space junk is a problem.
nemom t1_jd3d1ky wrote
Ah, yes... How many times have I heard an astronomer say, "Damn it! A satellite passed in front of my sensor. Oh, wait... The catalog says it's gonna burn up in three years, not seventeen, so it's OK."?
WholemealBred t1_jczt6ee wrote
Tell us how that didn’t just create more space junk… it’s r/technicallythetruth
timberwolf0122 t1_jd0wxce wrote
The cube is a proof of concept, we now know that a drag sail is highly effective as well as light and cheap, reducing junks life 6 fold and that’s huge.
WholemealBred t1_jd9tjpc wrote
But that’s not happened yet. It’s just more junk at this stage.
timberwolf0122 t1_jda2tee wrote
Not if they are continuing to monitor it, which I imagine they will to see how long the deorbit takes, it’ll become junk once it begins to burn up
WholemealBred t1_jda3vlp wrote
Just because it will head towards reentry with 5 years instead of 25 years doesn’t mean it’s not space junk. it’s still space junk….
timberwolf0122 t1_jda49ab wrote
Right…. And they will likely monitor its trajectory over the next 5 years to see how the cube and tiny drag chute behave, this would make it an active experiment.
If something happens and that cube starts gaining altitude because of an unforeseen interaction, we’ll that’s something you want to know about before you put it on something big and have it go sailing off somewhere
WholemealBred t1_jda58eg wrote
You realise it’s based of projections and not monitored for 5 years? RemindMe! 5 years
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