| < Shielding > |
| You
may object that the avoidance of meteors should be tackled with more
determination and efficiency. After all, the
mass of our (humble) station amounts at least to several metric tons,
and we will travel the (unfortunately not totally empty) space with
more than 60.000 mph. Probably we should feel a bit uneasy knowing to
depend on a few toy-like burners with questionable output. |
| A
more efficient way to deal with small meteors would be a flock of
miniature shields equipped with a conventional rocket drive. The
surface of each shield would be in the range of one square meter.
Dangerous objects appearing in the trajectory path of the station would
be discovered by optical instruments on the shields themselves, on the
station, and/or on Earth. |
| The
shields - maybe 10 to 20 of them - would be arranged ahead of the
stations pathway. The path of any identified object would be calculated
by software on the shields, on the station, and/or on Earth, depending
on size, relative velocity and direction. In case of a likely
collision, the software selects the shield with the best chance to
deflect the confronted object. |
| With no
danger ahaed, this accompaning flock of guardian angels would need no
propulsion, but simply share the same orbit with the station. In case
of an emergency, one of them will move into the necessary position,
relying on its fuel for minutes to hours. Any object should only be
deflected, not reflected, with a minimum of damage to the shield. |
| Large meterors with diameters in the range of a few decimeter will require some special treatment. Due to their size, they will be recognized early. This leaves enough time for one of the shields to meet the dangerous object several hours before its arrival at the station. The shield would join the meteor along its path, reducing their relative velocity to zero. Then, contact can be accomplished without any harm to the shield, and the meteor can be gently driven out of its collision course. |
| Refueling
in space will be provided by an independent spacecraft also sharing the
stations orbit. This robot
should need no human operator and automatically replenish all used-up
fuel. Supplies should hold out for several years, until the next close
fly-by near Earth. Since large meteors are rare, most missions will be
of short duration, with a minimum investment of energy. It is up to the
software to find out the most economic reaction to any threat. |
| MB 5/18 |
| next: Electricity back to: The costs of propulsion overview |
