Destroying Space Waste With Lasers

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Russian physicist Egor Loktionov proposes an unusual way of getting rid of space waste. He wants to shoot old satellites with lasers.

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Image by PIRO4D from Pixabay

As you might read in the soon-to-be-published article in the journal Acta Astronautica, Loktionov researched how different materials used to construct devices in space react to laser pulses.

Image by PIRO4D from Pixabay

So far, we have proposed many different ways to catch any debris falling from the sky. But very few have been tested and none of them are being used in the real world. Using lasers to remove space waste should come cheaper and be more reliable and flexible in getting rid of space waste.

On top of being cheaper and easier, the plasma created from the waste could theoretically be used as fuel for probes, spaceships, satellites that would use laser-thrusters as if the lasers would be located in space then they would pose close to no danger to any terrestrial facilities and human life.

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Destroying Space Waste With Lasers | Ecency