Space Debris

LLNL has been working for the last few years on ways to mitigate the space flight safety problems caused by orbital debris in low Earth orbits. Anyone who has seen the recent movie 'Gravity' will have a sense of what is at stake. While the movie does not paint an accurate picture of the problem, it is clear that something has to be done. LLNL tries to reduce the creation of new debris by providing better collision warning. This can be achieved through targeted observations of objects that are potential collision risks in the near future. In the talk I will discuss how this can be done with modest equipment from the ground, as well as with very small satellites from space. The practical aspects of observing space debris, the imaging results, and the overall orbital refinement quality will be covered in some detail.

Speaker: Dr. Kim De Vries, LLNL