An original way to deal with space debris was proposed by Russian scientists

Samara University scientists have proposed to "blow away" space debris from a dangerous orbit. This will help to avoid accidents and extend the service life of stations and satellites. According to RIA Novosti, the results are presented in Acta Astronautica.

It should be noted that the protection of the spacecraft from debris is considered one of the most urgent. After all, a collision with even a small piece of debris can turn into big problems. To date, the only available way to prevent such a collision is to adjust the orbit of the space station either through its own engines or through the engines of spacecraft docked to it. Since 1999, 38 such maneuvers have been carried out on the ISS, each of which consumed a large amount of fuel.

Scientists from different countries have proposed a variety of ways to protect the devices, so Samara is another option in this piggy bank. What is the point? It is planned to place a special device on the space station, which can, in case of danger, undock from the "base" and fly to space debris. After the rendezvous, he will direct a jet of his electric jet engine at it and "blow away" space debris from a dangerous orbit, like a hair dryer. If about 2000 kg of fuel is required for the classic maneuver of correcting the ISS orbit, then such a "prefix" will spend a little more than 200 kg, the authors claim.

Source: RG.RU