Since 1957, artificial satellites and launch vehicles have created an ever growing number of orbiting debris objects, from a few microns to several meters in size. In recent years a number of international agreements have been made to limit the growth rate of debris. However, there is no serious program to reduce the amount of existing debris. Recent developments such as the proliferation of debris from the Chinese ASAT test of 2007 and the 2009 collision of an Iridium satellite with a Russian Cosmos have raised level of urgency to actively manage the debris situation. Mitigation approaches have been pursued and many reduction techniques have been suggested. Most new spacecraft are now able to maneuver out of the way at their end of life. But, little is being done to reduce existing debris. This special and timely course attempts to explain the dangers and the options associated with the growing debris problem.
COURSE MATERIALS:
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
Space industry and government executives and decision makers
Satellite program managers
Launch vehicle and satellite insurance underwriters
Space policy writers and lawyers
Anyone wishing to gain insight into the space debris issues
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:
The nature and history of orbital debris and the space environment
Hazards of space flight with debris
Recent debris propagation and collision events
Debris management and mitigation approaches
Methods of spacecraft protection
The ultimate solution: a debris reduction program
Costs associated with the debris hazard
Policy and legal implications
COURSE OUTLINE:
The Nature of Space Flight and Debris Production
Dynamics of orbiting around the Earth
The sources of space debris and what happens to it
Description of the dangers to operating spacecraft
Basic definitions
Density and Distribution of Orbiting Debris
Description of debris sizes and numbers
Near-term and long-term implications
Build up of collision events
The “do-nothing” scenario
The Debris Hunters
Tracking space debris
Space situational awareness
Shortcomings of today’s technology
Needed new technologies to predict debris impacts
International Treaties and Agreements on Space Debris
The main debris study sources
International committees and working groups
Most recent findings related to debris mitigation and management
New treaties needed to facilitate debris reduction
A New Space Program to Address Debris Reduction
Technologies and Methods of debris reduction
Early experiments to test possible solutions
Debris reduction architectures
Cost estimates
Impact of Debris Reduction on the Overall Space Program and Industry
New launch vehicles for debris clean up
Special spacecraft for debris collection
Maintaining normal satellite operations
Schedules for debris reduction
Objectives of a debris reduction program
Conclusions
When to act
Laying blame
Paying the price
The major issues
Required action
Seminar Leader:
Marshall H. Kaplan, Ph.D., is a recognized expert in space flight technologies, orbital mechanics and debris retrieval. He was the first to study space junk retrieval and was instrumental in the safe reentry of the Skylab Space Station in 1979. Foxnews.com recently aired a story about his four decades of research on this topic. Dr. Kaplan is one of only a few experts in the field of space debris control and reduction. He has over four decades of academic and industrial experience, having served as Professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University and presenting hundreds of courses on space technology in the U.S., Europe, South America and Asia. In addition to publishing some 100 papers, reports, and articles on aerospace technologies, he is the author of several books, including the internationally used text, Modern Spacecraft Dynamics and Control. Dr. Kaplan is a member of the AIAA Technical Committee on Space Transportation and holds advanced degrees from MIT and Stanford University.
