Spacecraft for removal of space orbital debris
AssigneeThe Aerospace Corporation
InventorErnie Y. Robinson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A deorbiting spacecraft includes a grabber for grabbing an orbiting debris object in space and a deorbitor for deorbiting the debris object. The grabber includes inflatable fingers with loop eyes for bending inflated fingers around and to grab the space debris object using controlled motors and tension lines. The deorbitor is a dragsphere for deorbiting low earth orbit debris objects into the atmosphere for burn up, or is a surface for collecting solar wind for pushing the debris into an outer disposal orbit, or is a thruster for transorbiting a high earth orbit debris object to an outer waste orbit.
Claims12
A system for removing an object from an orbit, the system comprising,
- a thruster for moving the system towards the object,
- a grabber for grabbing the object as a grabbed object, the grabber comprising:
- a plurality of inflatable fingers;
- a gas supply for inflating the inflatable fingers;
- mechanical motors for controlling the grabber to grab the object;
- and
- tension lines connecting the motors to the inflatable fingers for bending the inflatable fingers for grabbing the object, and
- a deorbitor for removing the grabbed object from the orbit.
A system for grabbing an object in space, the system comprising,
- a thruster for moving the system towards the object,
- a grabber for grabbing the object as a grabbed object, the grabber comprising:
- a plurality of inflatable fingers;
- a gas supply for inflating the inflatable fingers;
- mechanical motors for controlling the grabber to grab the object;
- and
- tension lines connecting the motors to the inflatable fingers for bending the inflatable fingers for grabbing the object.
The system for grabbing an object in space, the grabber comprising,
- a plurality of inflatable fingers,
- a gas supply for inflating the inflatable fingers,
- mechanical motors form controlling the grabber to grab the object,
- tension lines connecting the motors to the inflatable fingers for bending the inflatable fingers for grabbing the object, and
- loop eyes attached to the fingers for routing the tension lines along the fingers for controlling the grabbing of the fingers.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.