LONDON: A primitive weapon will now protect earth against hurtling giant asteroids capable of causing mass destruction.
Faced with the challenge of capturing tumbling satellites to clear key orbits, the European Space Agency is considering turning to an ancient terrestrial technology: the harpoon.
Used since the Stone Age, first to spear fish and later to catch whales, the humble harpoon is being looked at for snagging derelict space hardware.
Astronomers have been working to find a way of capturing and securing space junk.
Scientists estimate that 1,000 tons to more than 10,000 tons of meteoritic material falls on the Earth each day. Several different solutions have been considered, including a throw-net, clamping mechanisms, robotic arms – and a tethered harpoon.
The harpoon concept has already undergone initial investigations by Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage, UK.
Harpoons rely on three physical actions to ensure safe and clean grasping: a high-energy impact into the target, piercing the structure and then reeling it in.
A prototype harpoon was shot into representative satellite material to assess its penetration, its strength as the target is pulled close and the generation of additional fragments that might threaten the e.DeOrbit satellite.
