Space harpoon plan to nail orbital garbage

Discussion in 'hardware' started by SweX, Apr 21, 2013.

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  1. SweX

    SweX Registered Member

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    http://edition.cnn.com/2013/04/18/world/space-junk-harpoon/index.html?hpt=hp_c5
     
  2. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    Why not shoot em down! :D
     
  3. Mman79

    Mman79 Registered Member

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    Hmm, well, because explosives...explode...and you're going to need a good amount to knock anything away. I'll leave out the fact that said explosives would, you know, explode the target or at least damage it..sending more debris around. Think Noob, Think! :D

    This harpoon idea is one of the better, more feasible ideas I've come across. Unfortunately, we still have this really big ball of fiery plasma called the Sun to contend with that can interrupt and do damage to these satellites and equipment through solar activity. There isn't a heck of a lot we're going to do about that little problem.
     
  4. Noob

    Noob Registered Member

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    But . . . But . . . then its not fun anymore. :rolleyes:
     
  5. Mman79

    Mman79 Registered Member

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    Lol :D It's actually a near miracle more satellites haven't been harmed.
     
  6. The Red Moon

    The Red Moon Registered Member

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    I suppose the nature of this thread is security related in a form.
    Notably.
    World security is at risk.:D :rolleyes:
     
  7. Mman79

    Mman79 Registered Member

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    Actually, considering that the world runs on those giant chunks of wires, chips and metal hovering way above us, I'd say them getting hammered by Earth's landfill in the sky is a pretty legit discussion for the hardware section of a security forum.
     
  8. SweX

    SweX Registered Member

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    Sure is, but we can always call R2D2 to come and help out :D
     
  9. Techwiz

    Techwiz Registered Member

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    What NASA can't develop a large force flex bag? But seriously, Hollywood should look at a revision to E.T. in which his ship hit some space junk (preemptive strike) and he was the sole remaining survivor after the crash. E.T. phone home might not be a good thing after all.
     
  10. The Red Moon

    The Red Moon Registered Member

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    The planet earth is wholly at the mercy of the infinite and unknown universe.
    We simply cannot defend ourselves from unknown entities deep within the cosmos.

    Mankind will never have a true concept of the realms of outer space.When neil armstrong landed on the moon it was considered in neils immortal words a giant leap for mankind.

    Yet there are endless planets to step on and we have catalogued what we believe to be the major planets purely on scientific research and conjecture.

    Its true that meteorites are falling on earth every day and in some respects we have been extremely lucky that throughout history nothing of any great significance has landed on us yet.:)
     
  11. Pedro

    Pedro Registered Member

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    Went to look for this picture and found it on a similar thread elsewhere.
    From the Spaceballs movie.

    "Use the schwartz!"

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VptOUWC-Itc
    (just need to be careful not to suck the atmosphere..)
     

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  12. Mman79

    Mman79 Registered Member

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    We can't even protect ourselves completely from the forces of nature already on the planet. We can detect them (even then not always and almost never with any sort of 100% reliable warning ahead of time), but there won't be any stopping a 7 or 8 Richter scale quake from destroying whatever it feels like destroying that day, or hurricanes deciding to take Miami back from us lowly humans. Science, as far as anything outside of our solar system goes, is guess work based on theories we've had to concoct just to attempt to explain what's going on out there. We're a very cocky species for the sheer amount of luck we had coming into existence (which no one yet has ever truly figured out, no matter what the evolution and religious crowds say). We're basically a large-sized asteroid away from the universe hitting the reset button on us, and we've got absolutely nowhere else to go.
     
  13. SweX

    SweX Registered Member

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    ...Yet ;) But hopefully we will have found a "new home" before it's too late, one have to be optimistic about the future :D :)
     
  14. Mman79

    Mman79 Registered Member

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    Optimistic, but realistic. Right now, Mars is our best hope and we'd have to re-engineer it's ecosystem and atmosphere (terraforming) just to step outside the landing vehicle for more than a very short period. That's centuries of time and trillions of dollars in R&D just to get it going..and then we're only hoping it'll work. You've also just opened yourself up to even more risk of asteroid hits, plus, in regards to the atmosphere alone, we'd constantly have to keep it maintained because we'd keep losing it (over time of course, but it's still a problem). Let's not forget the constant exposure to cosmic rays either

    That's just heading "next door". You want to go anywhere else? You better throw more centuries and more trillions into R&D, and even then your passengers aboard the ships likely won't live long enough for it to be worth the time because of the affect of radiation-aging alone. Of course you have to get across these expansions of space first, which are going to require a wee bit more "oomph" than our now retired shuttle. Yup, you're gonna need to "Make it so" and hit the warp button. Problem? Can't be done, physics says so, not cash, not cool people in white coats with big brains. Without it, you'll be likely dead before you ever get to whatever system you're headed to. Congrats, you just spent trillions of dollars on your shipment from Space UPS..and your package arrived DOA. Gonna have to RMA that sucker.

    We're finding new earth-like planets all the time (we've found there are possibly billions), but they are all light years away and, with some of the closer ones, even traveling at a tenth of the speed of light would take us hundreds of years to get there. Again, you'll be dead before you got "home" if we could travel that fast. I hate to pop the sci-fi bubbles of all the wannabe Captain Picards out there, but it's just not going to happen beyond Mars. The last two problems after the tech and money is settled? We may not even be what we consider "human" by that time, if we exist at all. Then, if we do exist, as humans do, we'll end up with the same humanity issues we face on Earth. We'll tear up Mars too. Next stop, Venus!...Bring your sunscreen!
     
  15. SweX

    SweX Registered Member

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    ......Yes I agree with all of that, it's a rather complicated situation we will have to face sooner or later to say the least ;)!

    Now not to get further OT but this is one Universe, and one Galaxy we live in. No one knows if there are other Universes far away, or yet to be created...knowing that this/our Universe is getting bigger each second.....the only thing that matters IMO is that something not someone(Humans) will continue to live on somewhere in some Universe whenever Earth decides it had enough. :)
     
  16. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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    Hype.

    6,000 tons sounds a lot, until you spread it over an area that is larger than total surface of the planet, as you have an extra 200-300km of diameter, plus vertical depth, several hundred km as well, so you end with multiple layers, each earth-size+ in area. The probability of being hit by anything there is less than having a fly collide with your head when you're walking. Much lower than that. Probably equal to being hit by a meteor. Or exactly that. Only you don't call it a meteor, you call it space debris.

    Mrk
     
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