What is space junk?

Space junk (space junk, orbital debris or space junk) is a useless man-made object that orbits the earth. Space junk is as small as satellite debris, paint debris, dust, and as large as the entire spaceship wreck.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States will invest in developing a two-dimensional spacecraft, which is made of a special two-dimensional film material and can wrap space debris and make it leave orbit.

The propellant of two-dimensional spacecraft is stored in liquid form in a gap with a width of 10 micron between two films. A two-dimensional spacecraft with the size of 1 square meter weighs about 35 grams, so this spacecraft will greatly reduce the cost of space launch.

Extended data:

Countermeasures to solve space junk;

1, keep it clean

Space experts have begun to study ways to limit the generation of space junk and eliminate it. For example, push the stopped satellite into other orbits to avoid colliding with the normal working satellite; Use the space shuttle to bring the damaged satellite back to Earth, so as to reduce the large pieces of garbage in space. Some scientists have suggested that laser weapons should be used to directly burn space garbage in space.

2. Detection control

Systems that monitor missiles and spy satellites can monitor larger space debris. The space exploration networks of the United States and the former Soviet Union registered 10000 space objects. About 50 radar, optical or photoelectric sensors observe the sky about150,000 times a day, but this monitoring system can't detect objects smaller than 10 cm.

3. Mobile radar

A remote-controlled radar in Okayama Prefecture, Honshu Island, Japan started working on April 6, and its main function is to track the movement of space debris. This is the world's first radar dedicated to tracking the movement of space debris. In other countries, military radars are used to record or identify space debris.

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