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Swarm Of Satellite-Operated Lasers Will Deflect Dangerous Asteroids

29 March, 2012

MessageToEagle.com - A swarm of small satellite-operated lasers could deflect asteroids headed for Earth. and this new technique may radically improve asteroid deflection technology.

Researchers at the University of Strathclyde are floating the possibility that a group of small satellites could fly in formation and cooperatively fire solar-powered lasers at a threatening asteroid. The discovery would overcome difficulties associated with current methods, which focus on large unwieldy spacecraft.

“The use of high-power lasers in space for civil and commercial applications is in its infancy, and one of the main challenges is to have high power, high efficiency and high beam quality all at the same time,” said Dr. Massimiliano Vasile of Strathclyde’s department of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

“The additional problem with asteroid deflection is that, when the laser begins to break down the surface of the object, the plume of gas and debris impinges the spacecraft and contaminates the laser,” Vasile said.

“However, our laboratory tests have proven that the level of contamination is less than expected, and the laser could continue to function for longer than anticipated.”

Just over 100 years ago a 2000-kilometer area of vegetation was destroyed when an object believed to be 30-50 metres in diameter exploded in the skies above Tunguska, Siberia. While the likelihood of an immediate threat from a similar asteroid strike remains low, it is widely recognised that researching preventative measures is of significant importance.

Vasile added: “The Tunguska class of events are expected to occur within a period of a few centuries. Smaller asteroids collide with Earth more frequently and generally burn in the atmosphere although some of them reach the ground or explode at low altitude potentially causing damage to buildings and people.

“We could reduce the threat posed by the potential collision with small to medium-size objects using a flotilla of small agile spacecraft, each equipped with a highly efficient laser, which is much more feasible than a single large spacecraft carrying a multimegawatt.”



The system is scalable, so that more satellites could be added for larger asteroids, and intrinsically redundant, so that if one spacecraft fails, the others can continue. In addition, the laser does not have to be fired from the ground.

“Obviously, there are severe restrictions with that process, as it has to travel through the atmosphere, has a constrained range of action and can hit the debris only for short arcs,” Vasile said.

Dr Vasile is now investigating whether the same concept could be used to remove space debris. The space-borne lasers could be used to lower the original orbit of debris and reduce congestion.

“The amount of debris in orbit is such that we might experience a so-called Kessler syndrome — this is when the density becomes so high that collisions between objects could cause an exponentially increasing cascade of other collisions,” Vasile said.

“While there is significant monitoring in place to keep track of these objects, there is no specific system in place to remove them, and our research could be a possible solution.”

“A major advantage of using our technique is that the laser does not have to be fired from the ground. Obviously there are severe restrictions with that process as it has to travel through the atmosphere, has a constrained range of action and can hit the debris only for short arcs,” he said.

MessageToEagle.com via University of Strathclyde

See also:
Near-Miss Asteroid 2012 DA14 Returns Next Year

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