NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Project Orion will demonstrate a ground-based laser system in 2003 which could be used to clear debris in low Earth orbit which presents a significant threat to spacecraft.
The demonstration will be conducted during a Space Shuttle mission in 2003 when small objects will be deployed to simulate space debris. The objects will be equipped with global positioning system receivers so that they can be tracked as they are illuminated by the ground-based laser system. The laser will evaporate part of the object's surface, creating a small amount of thrust that slows it, causing it to enter the atmosphere.
If the demonstration is a success, it could be used to clear low Earth orbit of small pieces of debris which present a major risk to spacecraft, including large vehicles, such as the Space Shuttle or the International Space Station.
Jonathan Campbell, Marshall's chief of Project Orion, says that the system could be used to clear low Earth orbit (LEO) of all debris between 10mm (4in) and 100mm within two years. A two-year effort to eliminate LEO debris could cost $200 million, Campbell says.
Some spacecraft can be shielded to protect them from impact from 10mm debris, while debris larger than 100mm can be tracked and spacecraft such as the Space Shuttle can manoeuvre to avoid the potential collision. Objects measuring between 10-100mm, however, are too small to be tracked or too large to be shielded against.
Source: Flight International
