02.02.2011, 14:15 14287

Japan plans to collect space debris with fishing nets

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to collect space debris using metal fishing nets, the agency reports.

Almaty. February 2. Kazakhstan Today - The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to collect space debris using metal fishing nets, the agency reports.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Nitto Seimo Co aim to tackle the increasingly hazardous problem of rubbish in orbit around the Earth damaging space shuttles and satellites once and for all, the Telegraph reported.

According to the Telegraph, the agency has hooked up with fishing net manufacturer Nitto Seimo Co to develop a metal mesh, which will capture rogue scrap and consign it to incineration in the Earth's upper atmosphere.

Nitto Seimo has spent the past six years working on the space net, and if all goes to plan, it will be ready for deployment in two years.

Technical details are scarce, but the junk scoop is apparently made up of "three layered metal threads, each measuring 1mm diameter and intertwined with fibres as thin as human hair".

After launch, the net will extend over several kilometres, capturing debris while simultaneously acquiring an electrical charge - something which will eventually cause it to be pulled by Earth's magnetic fields towards a re-entry burn-up.

Space debris poses a real threat to orbital shipping, and there are as many as ten million bits and pieces waiting to do some serious damage to spacecraft and satellites.

It is thought that the net will remain in orbit for several weeks, collecting enough rubbish to make the trip financially worthwhile, before sending another net into space.

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