A flash of light in the night sky, thought to have been a burst from a galaxy in the early universe, may actually have been nothing more than a glint from a piece of junk in Earth’s orbit Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2269887-space-junk-foils-astronomers-observing-oldest-galaxy-in-the-universe/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: space junk
How to prevent crashes between orbiting satellites
Thousands more satellites will soon orbit Earth. We need better rules to prevent space crashes. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/satellites-prevent-space-crashes…
Iodine thruster could help clear space junk
A commercial nanosat called SpaceTy Beihangkongshi-1 – launched November 2020 – has successfully used an iodine thruster to change its orbit around Earth. This new thruster might help clear space junk by steering small satellites, at the end of their missions, back into Earth’s atmosphere where they’d burn up. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/iodine-thruster-might-help-clear-space-junk…
Japan Developing Wooden Satellites To Cut Space Junk
Joe2020 shares a report: A Japanese company and Kyoto University have joined forces to develop what they hope will be the world’s first satellites made out of wood by 2023. Sumitomo Forestry said it has started research on tree growth and the use of wood materials in space. The partnership will begin experimenting with different types of wood in extreme environments…
Is the ‘Black Knight’ really an alien satellite ?
For years, some have speculated that this unusual piece of space junk is actually an extraterrestrial device. You’ve probably seen this photograph bef… Source: https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/341992/is-the-black-knight-really-an-alien-satellite…
Scientists characterize second known minimoon
Astronomers using data collected with the Lowell Discovery Telescope (LDT) have helped to characterize only the second known minimoon of Earth, a newly discovered asteroid with the designation 2020 CD3, or CD3 for short. The LDT observations helped to clarify both the rotation rate and the orbit of this diminutive body, the latter of which helped prove that CD3 is a…
Will SpaceX’s Starlink satellites ruin stargazing?
SpaceX’s satellites will populate the night sky, affecting how we observe the stars. And this is just the beginning of private satellite mega-constellations. Source: https://earthsky.org/human-world/will-spacex-starlink-satellites-ruin-stargazing…
Rocket Lab Becomes Second Company After SpaceX To Launch and Land Orbital Rocket
Thelasko shares a report from Forbes: In a major milestone, the New Zealand-based launch company Rocket Lab has successfully recovered an orbital-class rocket after parachuting it back to Earth from near-space — only the second company in history ever to do so. Yesterday, Thursday, November 20 at 9.20 P.M. Eastern Time, the company’s two-stage Electron rocket lifted off from the company’s…
SpaceX Starship as a trash collector in Earth orbit?
SpaceX Starship’s many tasks may include launching humans into space, carrying satellites into orbit and — perhaps — removing troublesome pieces of space debris. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/spacex-starship-clean-up-space-junk…
Deep-learning algorithms helping to clear space junk from our skies
How do you measure the pose—that is the 3-D rotation and 3-D translation—of a piece of space junk so that a grasping satellite can capture it in real time in order to successfully remove it from Earth’s orbit? What role will deep learning algorithms play? And, what is real time in space? These are some of the questions being tackled in…