Space Debris – Junk Eating Rocket Engine

Dec 06, 2015

Space debris is becoming a bigger problem for spacecrafts. The Earth’s orbit is full of hazardous space debris that is only expected to grow worse over time and could result in more collisions among satellites and spacecrafts. 

Scientists have been brainstorming ways to tackle this problem for years and now Lei Lan and team from Tsinghua University in Beijing, China have proposed an idea for a rocket engine that can convert space junk into plasma energy where the propellant can maneuver itself continuously as it eats up the junk.

Space robotic cleaner would capture the targeting debris and transfer them into the rocket engine. Large debris pieces is first disintegrated into small pieces by using a mechanical method and then transfer it to a ball mill with the help of rotating cylinder that is partially filled with balls that would grind up the debris into powder. 

Their idea is simple, however, the task of turning debris into a usable plasma is not entirely straightforward. While the spacecraft does not need to carry propellant, the team suggested nuclear power as a source of energy, but that would present an entirely new set of complications. Space debris is an issue that looks likely to get worse in the near future and new innovative ideas are needed before the next big collision that would fill Earth’s orbits with even more debris.

Source:http://www.technologyreview.com/view/544156/junk-eating-rocket-engine-could-clear-space-debris/