this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2023
32 points (100.0% liked)
Technology
37551 readers
278 users here now
A nice place to discuss rumors, happenings, innovations, and challenges in the technology sphere. We also welcome discussions on the intersections of technology and society. If it’s technological news or discussion of technology, it probably belongs here.
Remember the overriding ethos on Beehaw: Be(e) Nice. Each user you encounter here is a person, and should be treated with kindness (even if they’re wrong, or use a Linux distro you don’t like). Personal attacks will not be tolerated.
Subcommunities on Beehaw:
This community's icon was made by Aaron Schneider, under the CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
view the rest of the comments
I found this a bit confusing. Did I understood this correctly that this would be attached to satellites and it would collect metal garbage and convert it into fuel for the satellite to de-orbit?
Not exactly. The Neumann thrusters (and other similar electric propulsion units) provide little thrust, but are small and extremely (mass-)efficient. They carry a small amount of "fuel" (a small chunk of metal) on board which is burnt over a very long time to slowly de-orbit.
Because they're small and efficient, it's not difficult to attach one to a satellite and create a de-orbit plan rather than just leaving the spacecraft in space. In essence, these thrusters make the de-orbit process more feasible, leading to less stuff out in space in the future. And with spacecraft returning back to Earth, we can collect the remains, recycle them, and create new spacecraft. IMO it's great for the sustainability of the space industry.
Oh, so this is not about removing existing space garbage, but just adding less of new 😅 Thanks for clarification!
That is how I understand it will work