ISS Could Be Fitted With Lasers To Shoot Down Space Junk

An anonymous reader writes Japan's Riken research institute has suggested a new idea for dealing with space junk. They say a fiber optic laser mounted onto the International Space Station could blast debris out of the sky. From the article: "To combat the increasingly dense layer of dead satellites and miscellaneous space debris that are enshrouding our planet, no idea — nets, lassos, even ballistic gas clouds — seems too far-fetched to avoid. Now, an international team of researchers led by Japan's Riken research institute has put forward what may be the most ambitious plan to date. They propose blasting an estimated 3,000 tons of space junk out of orbit with a fiber optic laser mounted on the International Space Station."

Comments

Re:Russians still have access?

[Karmashock]

As to flame baits... I am internet fearless... so I don't care.

As to the ISS being useful... its purpose was to bridge relations with the Russians. It failed. Absent that we would not have built it at all.

As to shooting space junk, remind me why we need to put a space laser on the ISS and not just on anything at all? We could have a space junk shooting satellite. The Russians will accuse us of putting weapons in space but what is new.

As to the Russians not being able to put pressure on the US if we didn't make ourselves vulnerable to them... thank you for proving my fucking point. That is why I don't want to give them more leverage. They exploit EVERYTHING no matter how petty and rediculious.

Newsflash, the US doesn't actually care about the ISS. As you point out, we didn't really fund space exploration for awhile. Why was that? Because we had more pressing concerns.

If the Russians are going to exploit every moment of weakness to get something then they are terrible partners for ANYTHING.

This is right up there with that dumb idea to put a tunnel between Alaska and Siberia so we could have a transcontinental train.

No one is investing in SHIT to do with Russia because no one trusts them. Think about it. Russia sits between east asia and Europe. One of the busiest trade routes in the world. And what does everyone do? They bypass Russia by any means.

If Russia were at all truthworthy there would be a big freight train service from China to Europe. But instead, everything is loaded on to boats and taken by sea. Think of the trade Russia would get if the cargo ran through their country? Warehouses, factories, all sorts of infrastructure investment, lots of transport jobs. I mean... we're talking about total economic benefits into the hundreds of billions per year at the very least.

And Russia ruins any chance they'll have at getting any of that on a regular basis by being raging morons.

And before anyone says "oh the US isn't trustworthy either"... well then why is the US getting massive investment from all over the world as well as a huge capital flight from China AND Russia into the US? It must be because these powerful interests want to lose their money. Because if the US isn't a trustworthy investment then putting your money in the US is stupid. So no... the US is exceptionally trustworthy. That isn't saying the US is perfect... and all things are relative.