VEMANA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYDEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING

GPS BASED SPACE DEBRIS REMOVAL SYSTEM

BY:SUNIL D S USN NO:1VI11EC078

GUIDED BY: Mrs. KUSUMA G S

1) Introduction

2)Types of orbits

3) Sources of debris

4) Tracking and Measurement of debris

5) Clearance of space debris

6) Conclusion

7) References

CONTENTS

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INTRODUCTION

Space debris , also known as orbital debris , space junk and space waste , is the collection of defunct objects in orbit around Earth.This includes everything from spent rocket stages , old satellites, fragments from disintegration , erosion and collision.They can include anything from entire used rocket stages and defunctioning satellites to explosion fragments, paint flakes, dust, slag from solid rocket motors, coolant released by RORSAT also known in the west as Radar Ocean Reconnaissance Satellite, nuclear powered satellites, deliberate insertion of small needles, and other small particles from equipment.

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Debris poses a growing threat to satellites and could prevent the use of valuable orbits in the future.

The following table shows the estimated amount of debris objects by their size:

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Tracked orbital debris population catalogued by U.S. Air Force as of 2010.

1. Low Earth Orbit

2. Medium Earth Orbit

3. Geostationary Orbit

4. High Earth Orbit

TYPES OF ORBITS

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LEO is still very close to the Earth, especially when compared to other forms of satellite orbit including geostationary orbit.

Low Earth Orbit

Low Earth Orbit extending from 200 km to 1200 km it means that it is relatively low in altitude.

Orbit times are much less than for many other forms of orbit. The lower altitude means higher velocities are required to balance the earth's gravitational field.

Less energy is expended placing the satellites in LEO than higher orbits.

Communications satellites , Earth monitoring satellites use LEO as they are able to see the surface of the Earth more clearly as they are not so far away. They are also able to traverse the surface of the Earth.

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The International Space Station is in an LEO that varies between 320 km (199 miles) and 400 km (249 miles) above the Earth's surface.

Currently , NASA tracks more than 15,000 objects larger than 10 cm in LEO.

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Situated from 2000 km to 36,000 km above Earth’s surface.

The most common use for satellites in this region is for navigation , Gps communication and space environment science.

Has an orbital period of 12 hours .

Medium Earth Orbit

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Geostationary Earth Orbit

These are at a height of 35790 km, it takes 24 hours for the satellite to orbit.

Geostationary satellites have modernized and transformed worldwide communications, television broadcasting, and meteorological and weather forecasting. They also have a number of significant defense and intelligence applications.

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Highly Elliptical Orbit These satellites do not follow a circular orbit, but its orbit is elliptical.

Its orbital period is of 8 to 24 hours.

The perigee about 500 km and apogee of 50000 km.

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Fig. HEO

Tracking of debris Radar and optical detectors such as LIDAR are the main tools used for tracking space debris. Radio waves have been recently used. These waves are transmitted

into space and they bounce off of space junk back to the origin that will detect and track the object.

Ground based radar facilities and space telescopes are also used to track the debris.

Returned hardware of space debris is a valuable source of information of the environment.Some of the modules used were :LDEF (Long duration exposure facility ) satelliteEURECA ( European Retrievable carrier )STS-61 EndeavourSTS-109 ColumbiaDept Of ECE,VIT 12

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“CLEARANCE OF SPACE DEBRIS”

Different Types

Electro dynamic tethers

Laser brooms

Solar sails

Space nets and collectors

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Electro-dynamic tethers

An electro-dynamic tether provides a simple and reliable alternative to the conventional rocket thrusters .

It works on the basic principle of Lorentz force and Fleming’s Left hand rule .

Magnetic force is exerted on a current carrying wire in a direction perpendicular to both the flow of current and the magnetic field .Dept Of ECE,VIT

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Laser brooms The laser broom uses a powerful ground based laser to ablate the front surface off of debris and thereby produce a rocket like thrust that slows the object.

With continued application the debris will eventually decrease their altitude enough to become subject to atmospheric drag.

Additionally , the momentum of photons in the laser beam could be used to impart thrust on the debris directly.

Mainly the laser based techniques are two types: 1. Ground based laser technique 2. Space based laser technique

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Ground based laser

Space based laserDept Of ECE,VIT 17

Solar sails

The Solar sails uses the pressure from sunlight to navigate an object, just like a naval sail uses wind.

This way debris can be navigated out of orbit and burn into the atmosphere.

The only problem with the solar sail is that its very hard to navigate the junk into the ocean and hence might be pretty dangerous.

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Space nets

Space nets or umbrellas are satellites which eject a huge net that ‘fishes’ or collects the debris and is later disposed off into a graveyard orbit .

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Collector satellites

The most commonly used collector satellite is the Sling Sat.

It has two extended arms which collect the debris as it is in motion.

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CONCLUSIONSatellite communication would develop faster as there will be no

hindrance to it. Every point in the earth, even the poles could be linked via satellites. Communication will be faster, better and cheaper. Exploring the outer space would be easier and inter planetary communication will flourish.

Even though this problem might look unimportant and is being neglected by people, it is of great concern for the developments in space and technology. A part of the International Space Station should be allocated for space debris removal and control called as Debris removal station. This monitors the motion, size, and mass of the debris and removes them using an appropriate method suitable for that particular debris.

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REFERENCES[1] International Journal of Research (IJR) Vol-1, Issue-10 November 2014 ISSN 2348-6848 Space Debris Elimination Techniques. [2] Robert Osiander and Paul Ostdiek, Handbook of Space Engineering, Archaeology.[3] Marco M. Castronuovo, Active space debris removal-A preliminary missionanalysis and design, Acta Astronautica 69 (2011) 848-859.[4] Carmen Pardini, Toshiya Hanada and Paula H Krisko, Benefits and risks of using electrodynamic tethers to de-orbit spacecrafts, Acta Astronautica 64 (2009) 571-588.[5] Robert P Hoyt and Robert L Forward, The Terminator Tether: Autonomous deorbit of LEO spacecraft for space debris mitigation, AIAA-00—0329.[6] Holger Burkhardt, Martin Sippel, et, Evaluation of propulsion systems for satellite end-of-life deorbiting, Germany, AIAA-2002—4208.

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THANK YOU

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