Space clean-up

A When the Soviet Union successfully launched Sputnik 1 in 1957, it was the first
artificial satellite ever to enter orbit around the Earth, and the project's success marked a
significant milestone in the history of the exploration of space. There was suddenly a
profound change in human perspective, a change which would, in subsequent years,
become ever more marked as scientists progressively acquired the ability to study aspects
of the planet from a new (and not Earth-bound) point of view. However, the technology
employed on that first satellite mission was astoundingly simple when compared to what
would follow. To cite just one example of this, Sputnik 1 only employed four very basic
radio transmitters. Commercial satellites in 2017 routinely employ dozens of extremely
complex ‘transponders’.

B Increasing use of ever-more sophisticated satellites has now permeated almost all
aspects of modern life. Telecommunications could not function without them, and neither
could the precision geo-location and navigational aids which we all take for granted.
Worldwide monitoring of weather patterns has produced not only better forecasting, but
an awareness of the human impact on the planet. Satellite imaging of the Earth is
essential in conflict resolution and disaster management. Other satellites, such as the
Hubble space telescope, are being used to collect data which help us understand the
universe beyond our planet. Indeed, the international space station, on which a constantly
changing crew of astronauts live, is another type of satellite.

C Whilst the use of satellite technology has had a far-reaching impact on our lives, the
question remains of what happens to these machines when they are no longer functional.
In total over 6,600 satellites have been launched since Sputnik 1. Of the estimated 3,600
which are still in Earth’s orbit, only 1,000 remain in operation with the rest having
become lifeless space debris. The problem of space debris is also self-perpetuating; when
two satellites collide, many more pieces of rubbish are produced. A recent collision
between two relatively small satellites created over 2,000 trackable pieces. There are now
tens of thousands of objects larger than 5cm in diameter in orbit and an estimated one
hundred million man-made pieces larger than 1mm. This ever-growing volume of junk is
referred to as the Kessler syndrome, whereby each collision creates ever more debris,
increasing chances of further collisions.

D This growing volume of space waste can have serious consequences. Debris hurtling
through space can strike working satellites, rendering them inoperable. Not only is this
incredibly costly, but it can also take entire communications or tracking networks offline.
The danger increases with the involvement of manned spacecraft. In 2007, a piece of
space debris pierced the radiator of US space shuttle Endeavour. The International Space
Station has also faced problems. Despite being in an orbit with relatively little space
debris, it is frequently forced to make time-consuming manoeuvres out of the path of
fragments of rubbish. As a result, it is essential that pieces of space debris are constantly
tracked. When they do not have the necessary three days’ warning to change the craft’s
path, the crew members are increasing told to take shelter in Soyuz, the evacuation craft.

E With more satellites and spacecraft being launched every year, the problem of space
debris needs a solution, one of which has recently been trialled by the Japanese. At the
end of 2016, Kyoritsu was taken into orbit and released. Kyoritsu is a type of satellite
from which a kilometre-long cable manufactured by a fishing net company is tethered to
a 20-kilogram mass. As this moves through the Earth’s magnetic field, it generates an
electric current which slows down space debris it comes into contact with. When
travelling at a slower speed the debris is forced down into the Earth’s atmosphere where
it burns up and is destroyed upon falling to Earth. Although the initial trial of Kyoritsu
was unsuccessful as the tether failed to deploy, the team are hopeful for its future use.

F A further solution may come in redesigning both the types of satellites we use and the
technology to retrieve them. As technology has improved, we have the opportunity to
create much more compact satellites with considerably lower deployment costs. Many
scientists worry that this will lead to a proliferation of debris as these smaller devices fall
out of service. However, when Switzerland recently launched their first satellites, which
were no larger than a briefcase, they understood the need to have a system in place to
avoid them ending their life cycle as space debris. It is for this reason that they designed
CleanSpace 1, a satellite with a cone-shaped net at the front which can unfold and then
entrap smaller satellites. Once its targets have been captured, it can then slow down and
de-orbit, burning everything up as it re-enters the atmosphere. CleanSpace 1 is scheduled
to launch in 2018 to recapture the Swiss satellites.

G Brian Weeden, a technical advisor for the Secure World Foundation, has suggested
that space debris was a ‘super wicked problem’. Super wicked problems are complex
issues without any clear solution, and little time to find one. This is not helped by the fact
that no central organisation takes responsibility. However, there are signs that more
people are taking this issue seriously with both commercial and national space
organisations understanding the need for sustainability in satellite deployment.
Technologies like Kyoritsu and CleanSpace 1 are being developed but more programmes
are needed. At present, Kessler syndrome still poses a real threat and the volume of space
debris is growing.
Two solutions to the problem of space debris have been developed and are similar in that
they both work by changing the (34) ________ of the debris and making it burn up as it
enters Earth's atmosphere.
(35) __________ engineers have invented a satellite which uses (36) __________ to
catch defunct satellites, although this solution will only work with debris of a certain
(37)___________ , while (38) __________ scientists have experimented with a satellite
attached by a line to a (39) ___________ to force debris to decelerate.
Both advancements are a step in the right direction but more is needed to address the
growing (40) ________ of space debris.