From: sylvia@email.invalid   
      
   On 20-Nov-21 12:06 pm, Alain Fournier wrote:   
   > On Nov/19/2021 at 18:24, Sylvia Else wrote :   
   >> On 18-Nov-21 6:50 am, JF Mezei wrote:   
   >>> Recent events have put a fair amount of debris in potential collision   
   >>> with ISS and I assume a bunch of LEO satellites.  It isn't the first   
   >>> time and likely not the last.   
   >>>   
   >>> At the technical perspective, what concepts/technolopgies could   
   >>> pontentially be developped to make a vaccum cleaner for space?   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> Say you can easiuly lauch a ship in same orbit as the debris field and   
   >>> it can sneak up behind it.  Is the concept of using a laser to vaproize   
   >>> pieces of metal real or just science fiction?  If you "laser" a piece of   
   >>> depris, does it just become small pellets of aliminium which then become   
   >>> bullets that penetrate ISS or other satellites? Or would it render the   
   >>> aluminium harmless ?   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> It is possible to recreate re-entry conditions that destroy the pieces?   
   >>>   
   >>> Or is physically capturing the pieces, put them in a big bucket and   
   >>> de-orbiting the bucket the only way?   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> Could one launch retrograde in that orbit and spread air in the orbital   
   >>> path at that altitude such that when the debris hit that air (which   
   >>> woudld be going at orbital sped in opposite direction) would slow down   
   >>> the debris and/or burn it up?  (causing both debris and air to drop   
   >>> down).   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> I am curious to see what science would come up with should there be a   
   >>> challenge of cleaning space debris equal to landing a man on the moon   
   >>> and returning him safely before the end of the decade.   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> The debris field tends to spread out, and it's not in a single orbit,   
   >> because the initial destruction imparted different velocities to the   
   >> bits, in all directions.   
   >>   
   >> Sylvia.   
   >   
   > Yes. But all of the pieces that stay in orbit (some can re-enter   
   > immediately, others may escape) should return to the point of impact.   
   > At least initially. As you said, the field will spread out.   
      
   They will certainly return the point of impact, but not at the same   
   time, because they will have differing orbital periods.   
      
   Sylvia   
      
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