Japan to Test Space Junk Cleanup Tether Soon: Report

Here's Some news, ATS

Japan is soon to be testing a tether for Space junk clean up. Apparently, the Space Junk problem is worse than we know.

"As of Sept. 2013, NASA officials estimate there are more than 500,000 pieces of debris the size of a marble or larger orbiting Earth. More than 20,000 pieces of space junk are larger than a softball, but there are millions more that are too small to track, NASA officials have said.

The conspiracy nut in me tells me that this effort to clean up our massive collection of junk is due to the "opening up" of the heavens for Space commerce, and Space industries which are about to take hold in the near future.

There will be games/ activities in Space. Think Felix Baumgartener (Spelled right?)

Paypal is looking into Cosmic Currency: Why? Because they know markets are about to open for Space commerce.

Virgin Galactic plans to start ferrying paying customers later this year. Other companies will soon follow suit

SpaceX has already begun supplying the ISS

Mars One will start transporting colonists to Mars in less than ten years; although the date keeps changing.
The Mars One transport system may lead to a supply chain between Earth and Mars.

All of this activity points to a blossoming Space economy about to take hold. Maybe I'm seeing more into this than what is really happening but it's sure nice to dream!

What say you, ATS?

www.space.com...

So are they using flypaper or a spider web?

Aren't there already enough spaced out people on the planet?

reply to post by lostbook


I might as well be the one to get it out of the way first:

How about Japan figure out how to clean up the mess with Fukishima first? Getting rid of space junk is fine but isn't a radioactive mess a higher priority? Sure they can do multiple things at once but this thread has potential.

I am getting rid of the low hanging fruit right off the bat.

I think its awesome. I have been a huge fan of the Mars One mission, as well as every other maned and unmanned space flight to date.
I dont think we deserve to colonize space yet when all we do is ruin our little corner of it.

But i think its great that we are going forth and heading out into the uncharted.
Humans were made to explore and grow. Its no doubt this will open up a lot of both.

Think about all that is out there, and we haven't even been through our own solar system let alone through our galaxy.

Makes me wonder how far we have to go before some space fairing alien race will sit up and take notice of us, if they haven't already.
The law of probability is on our side when it comes to meeting aliens from other systems.

Hmmm, rather than fix Fukashima... after all, it's only a matter a time before one of the other hundreds of reactors go critical due to a natural disaster, or just plain old disrepair...

Let's race to space and take our humanity to worlds unknown...

We broke this one and created things that have no dismantle.... so let's get ready to hit the cosmic wave. I wonder who gets to go and who is left behind - fast forward a century into the 22nd century?

All pessimism aside though, I really do believe we are going to have to begin to explore space. We need to look for our resources elsewhere. A place to dump our crap. Particularly would be nice to find a safe means of dealing with nuclear waste. Drilling our gasses and metals ff world.

I personally, just don't think we're allowed to or it would already be. Instead we seem to be grounded to remaining so many miles within our own stratosphere, manned. Everything that goes out further is unmanned. I mean, it's just a hunch, but I think we've been warned off the moon. I think we've already been told that the Universe is teeming with life, and that it is NOT ours to go about conquesting.

So I'm conflicted about space travel. I recognize the needs, the necessity for it - but worry we are not advanced enough as a whole world society to handle the responsibility. To acknowledge the moral and ethics involved with the power to visit alien worlds - even within our own solar system.

CdT

lostbook
Japan is soon to be testing a tether for Space junk clean up. Apparently, the Space Junk problem is worse than we know.

I knew it is a massive problem, but it isn't commonly understood I agree. The area of usable orbit around the Earth is shrinking and problems from junk affecting current activities is increasing.

lostbook
The conspiracy nut in me tells me that this effort to clean up our massive collection of junk is due to the "opening up" of the heavens for Space commerce, and Space industries which are about to take hold in the near future.

That's no conspiracy, it's common business sense. The US turning over a significant amount of it's space program to business ventures was a tectonic shift in policy. This process has already unfolded in many different industries, where the government spearheads it to begin and then business follows along to generate profit. I'd be surprised if people didn't expect it to be honest. It is happening in the 'War' business as well...much more disturbing!

lostbook
All of this activity points to a blossoming Space economy about to take hold. Maybe I'm seeing more into this than what is really happening but it's sure nice to dream!

It is exciting! While the human race might not be ready for it...that never stopped us from exploring before! We'll do it and fix what we get wrong later (if we can).

The technology behind the tether is really interesting. A working tether to a space station would be a 'game changer' in opening up space. It would reduce costs and risk so dramatically that commercial applications would instantly become highly profitable. This is one technology to watch for!

I'm thinking it's more along the lines of because the risk assessment for satellites crashing into all the crap up there is increasing drastically each year:




... Besides, it's probably high time we cleaned up our room before Mother Earth gets really pissed and whoops our derrieres with a wooden spoon.

CranialSponge
I'm thinking it's more along the lines of because the risk assessment for satellites crashing into all the crap up there is increasing drastically each year:

Sorry, but the assumptions in that graph are so crazy it isn't worth the pixels it occupies on anyone's screen. Your right thou, nobody wants billion dollar hardware being smashed by pebbles.

ABNARTY
reply to post by lostbook

 

I might as well be the one to get it out of the way first:

How about Japan figure out how to clean up the mess with Fukishima first? Getting rid of space junk is fine but isn't a radioactive mess a higher priority? Sure they can do multiple things at once but this thread has potential.

I am getting rid of the low hanging fruit right off the bat.

I know. Sometimes it seems that Japan is pretending that it didn't happen and is carrying on as such. The Fukushima situation is the most pressing issue of our time; there's no doubt. Are they( Japan) not acting because they already know that it's too late to do anything or is it just selfishness and stubborness? This tether project has probably been in the works since way before the Fukushima incident.

ABNARTY
reply to post by lostbook

 

I might as well be the one to get it out of the way first:

How about Japan figure out how to clean up the mess with Fukishima first? Getting rid of space junk is fine but isn't a radioactive mess a higher priority? Sure they can do multiple things at once but this thread has potential.

I am getting rid of the low hanging fruit right off the bat.

I know. Sometimes it seems that Japan is pretending that it didn't happen and is carrying on as such. The Fukushima situation is the most pressing issue of our time; there's no doubt. Are they( Japan) not acting because they already know that it's too late to do anything or is it just selfishness and stubborness? This tether project has probably been in the works since way before the Fukushima incident.

Actually a clean Space is very important to protect us
from other Fukushimas!

(Earthquakes and Tsunami Protection, both need Satellites!)

reply to post by ABNARTY

How about Japan figure out how to clean up the mess with Fukishima first? Getting rid of space junk is fine but isn't a radioactive mess a higher priority?

Everything is going to be alright. Everything is under control. The coming dearth. of natural resources is just an inherent trend in market forces. Any food shortages are likely the result of global warming. All of the vessels seen exiting our atmosphere are just for testing. Besides, 500 million missing people worldwide will hardly be noticed.

Fukashima
Fukashima
Fukashima

There I have contributed to the conversation

Now to discuss the thread

I really like the idea of space junk cleanup...I am not a fan of just tossing it into our atmosphere for burnout

I do like the idea of collecting the junk and stashing it for recycling, of course most countries would fear their trade secrets getting out, and there could be the potential problem of a large space debri clump being weaponized, or becoming a hazard some other way, but how useful all that metal that has already been launched up there could be, its expensive to get materials into orbit...why not put a recycling facility up there, and begin building the next space station out of partially reclaimed materials?

Japans idea, and most other space cleanup initiatives all focus on pushing this stuff into our atmosphere to burn up....I don't think that is the way to go.

Recycle !

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