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Sen: Pew-Pew! Using Space Lasers to Zap Space Debris
Space debris is a growing problem. These little bits of orbiting junk—tools dropped by astronauts during EVAs, nuts and bolts from the deployment of satellites, and so on—are moving a dozen times faster than a rifle bullet, and pose a real threat to the International Space Station and other assets. Even a fleck of paint can be seriously harmful when it’s moving at 25,000 kph relative to you.
To fix this problem, a team of scientists has come up with an idea: Use a telescope planned to go on board ISS anyway to find the junk, then use a bundled fiber laser to zap it.
I have the details in my twice-monthly column for Sen.com. The blogs there are subscription-only for five bucks a month, about the amount you spend on the healthy breakfast cereal you promise yourself you’ll eat when you’re shopping at the grocery store but then throw out when it gets stale a month later. And in this case, you get stuff that’s healthy for your brain and curiosity.
