Phys.org October 29, 2021 Time-varying magnetic fields generate eddy currents in conductive materials with resulting forces and torques due to the interaction of the eddy currents with the magnetic field. This phenomenon has previously been used to induce drag to reduce the motion of objects as they pass through a static field or to apply force on an object in a single direction using a dynamic field. A team of researchers in the US (University of Utah, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, industry) has shown that manipulation, with six degrees of freedom, of conductive objects is possible by using multiple rotating […]
Tag Archives: Space debris
U.S. military tests radiation belt cleanup in space
Science Magazine January 3, 2020 High-energy electrons, shed by radioactive debris and trapped by Earth’s magnetic field, are fritzing out the satellites’ electronics and solar panels. Now, defense scientists are trying to devise a cure. Three space experiments—one now in orbit and two being readied for launch in 2021—aim to gather data on how to drain high-energy electrons trapped by Earth’s magnetic field in radiation belts encircling the planet…read more. Related article
Melting a satellite, a piece at a time
Phys.org June 17, 2019 An international team of researchers (UK, Germany, Portugal) working on ESA’s Clean Space initiative, placed a 4 x 10 cm magnetotorquer in a plasma wind tunnel reproducing reentry conditions to study how satellites burn up during reentry. They noted some similarities but also some discrepancies with the prediction models. They observed the behaviour of the equipment at different heat flux set-ups for the plasma wind tunnel in order to derive more information about materials properties and demisability. A big source of uncertainty in the demise process is the tendency for parts to fragment, generating multiple items […]