Orbital debris in low Earth orbit (LEO) are now sufficiently dense that the use of space is threatened by runaway collision cascading. A problem predicted more than thirty years ago, the threat from debris larger than about 1cm is now a reality that we ignore at our peril. The least costly, and most comprehensive, solution is Laser Orbital Debris Removal (LODR). In this approach, a high power pulsed laser on the Earth creates a laser‐ablation jet on the debris object's surface which provides the small impulse required to cause it to re‐enter and burn up in the atmosphere. The LODR system should be located near the Equator, and includes the laser, a large, agile mirror, and systems for active detection, tracking and atmospheric path correction. In this paper, we discuss advances that have occurred since LODR was first proposed, which make this solution to the debris problem look quite realistic.
What's New for Laser Orbital Debris Removal
BEAMED ENERGY PROPULSION: Seventh International Symposium ; 2011 ; Ludwigsburg, (Germany)
AIP Conference Proceedings ; 1402 , 1 ; 339-346
2011-11-10
8 pages
Conference paper
Electronic Resource
English
What's new for laser orbital debris removal
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2011
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NTRS | 1989
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