Method and apparatus for orbital debris mitigation

Abstract

Method and appartus are provided for mitigating orbital debris by using a collision medium to promote hyper-velocity collisions with orbital debris, and to trap any debris remaining after said collision in a manner whereby the remaining debris is retrievable. In a first embodiment, the collision medium comprises streams of liquid droplets which are directed proximate the interior of an intake cone (30) toward a collector (34). As hyper-velocity orbital debris collides with the stream or droplets comprising the collision medium, the orbital debris is substantially vaporized. The stream further serves to entrain any residual debris remaining after the collision, and to usher the residual debris to the collector (34) wherein both the stream and the residual debris are collected. In another embodiment, the collision medium comprises a plurality of filaments (430, 434, 436, 438) mounted on a substrate (414). The plurality of filaments and (430, 434, 436, 438) and the substrate (414) upon which the filaments (430, 434, 436, 438) are mounted comprise a mitigation unit which is, in turn, removably mounted on a superstructure (400). The filaments (430, 434, 436, 438) are oriented to facilitate hyper-velocity collisions and to trap any debris remaining after the collisions.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.