Magnet to Collect Space Junk

[hurricanedavid]

I just read an article about the STS-115 mission and the "debries" floting along with the shuttle. It mentioned that some of the pieces look metalic (like washers).<br /><br />What would happen if the shuttle's robotic arm had a string magnet on the end of it?<br /><br />Could it pull small space debries from a significant disance (50m) for capture and inspection?<br /><br />Would it alter the trajectory of the shuttle?<br /><br />Would it screw up all the electronics on the shuttle and be a very bad idea?<br /><br />Just a random question.

 

[MeteorWayne]

In theory, there should be very little metallic debris near the shuttle.<br />None of the objects that were seen appeared so, anyway.<br />Also, if it's out there, it's moving away, so by the time you got the arm up, it's gone. Remember, in space it just keeps going at the same speed, so you have minutes to catch it, or less. <br /><br />That said, it's an interesting idea to have easily accessible magnetic areas that could be of some value.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[raccoon]

Well I don't think it could cause intererference with communications. But I don't think you could possibly catch debris moving at thousands of miles per hour at you with even the most powerful magnets ever made. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

 

[vogon13]

Permanent magnet strong enough to do what you want would be quite heavy.<br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[qso1]

You'd need an extremelly large and heavy magnet to attract metallic objects 50 or more meters away. Then there non metallic objects that would have to be dealt with. Most of the debris re-enters earths atmosphere after several years where it burns up. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[hurricanedavid]

From what I read, a few of the more recent objects floating along with the shuttle (so the relative speed would be quite low) appeared to be metallic ... but they were not sure.<br /><br />And it is a good point about the magnet ... it would be quite heavy.

 

[qso1]

The recent objects probably came out of the shuttle payload bay which would explain the small relative speed, and proximity to the shuttle. With the truss in the payload bay, I don't doubt a few small items could have been lodged in nooks and crannies and the launch jostled them loose. Despite extensive inspections, even closeouts, occasionally small items get missed. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>

 

[CalliArcale]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>From what I read, a few of the more recent objects floating along with the shuttle (so the relative speed would be quite low) appeared to be metallic ... but they were not sure.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />FYI, it seems weird, but not all metals are attracted to magnets. Aluminum is one of them, although you can get weird effects from passing a piece of aluminum near a particularily strong magnet -- it sets up eddy currents in the aluminum, which will impart a peculiar drag to the object as it moves by. Yet it's not attracted to the magnet in the same, undeniable way that iron is. I chose to mention aluminum mainly because it's a very common metal in aerospace, being strong and light. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[rfoshaug]

More scientific work should be committed to understanding magnetism. Here we have this strange force or effect that is easy to study in a lab (or on a refridgerator), and we know almost nothing about how it works.<br /><br /><img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff9900">----------------------------------</font></p><p><font color="#ff9900">My minds have many opinions</font></p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

It works on ferrous materials. Liquid ozone is slightly magnetic. Magnetic fields can cause spectral lines to split via the Zeeman effect. Electromagnets can be made conventionally or superconducting, and with such exquisite precision that they can be made to accelerate charged particles to ~light speed in mere seconds. Maxwell's equations 'explain' just about everything we need to know about electromagnetism and harness it as something quite useful to us all.<br /><br />That some individuals may find it 'woo-woo' doesn't make it so.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>