Apparatus for holding captured space debris

Abstract

An apparatus for containing space debris comprises a chamber 1 having an opening 2 covered by a flexible cover 3 of which one end is attached to the chamber and the other end is attached to cable mean

Description

This invention relates to apparatus for holding and containing space junk and debris collected from orbit. Collecting space debris from orbit requires extra considerations due to the objects being in zero gravity. Objects cannot simply be placed in a container since they would be likely to eject themselves at some point, and every time a container receives another piece of space debris there is the possibility of other items escaping out. To overcome this, the present invention proposes apparatus for containing space debris, said apparatus comprising a chamber means, wherein said chamber means has an opening wherein a flexible cover covers said opening, wherein an end of said flexible cover is attached to said chamber means, wherein an other end of said flexible cover is attached to cable means wherein space debris is positioned between said flexible cover and a plunger means wherein said plunger means pushes into said space debris and flexible cover wherein said cable means extends to allow said flexible cover to uncover said opening wherein said space debris enters into said chamber wherein said plunger means withdraws wherein said cable means retracts to allow said flexible cover to re-cover said opening. When the space debris is pushed into the chamber by the plunger the flexible cover retracts to allow the space debris to enter the chamber, however, when the plunger withdraws the cover re-covers the opening which traps any objects inside. The plunger effectively does the work of gravity by directing the space debris into the chamber. Preferably, said cable means is tensioned by spring and / or elastic and / or rubber means . Preferably, said chamber is attached to rail means to allow it's position in a payload bay of a space vehicle to be changed to allow an adjustable centre of gravity of said space vehicle depending on the mass of contents of said space debris in said chamber. Preferably, said chamber is lined with shock-absorbing foam means . An example of the invention will now be described by referring to the accompanying drawings : - figures 1 and 2 show a side view of apparatus for holding captured space debris according to the invention. A chamber 1 has an opening 2 which is covered by a flexible cover 3 of which one end is attached to the chamber and the other end is attached to cable means 4. A plunger means 5 plunges into space debris to be collected 6 and the cover which causes the cover to retract allowing the space debris to enter the chamber. When the plunger is retracted the cable means pulls the cover to re-cover the opening which traps the space debris inside. The cable means may be tensioned by spring and / or elastic and / or rubber means and the chamber may be attached to rails to change the centre of gravity of a space vehicle if required due to the mass of the space debris collected, and the chamber may be lined with shock absorbing foam means . The shock absorbing foam means helps to avoid any damage caused by the collected space debris being thrown around while the space vehicle is manoeuvring in space or during re-entry. The cable means can be tensioned by spring loaded spool means as well as spring or elastic or rubber tensioning means. The cable means can have two cables attached to the outside edges of the cover to avoid obstructing the passage of the space debris as it enters the chamber. The edge of the cover can also have a stiffening rod means sewn in to maintain integrity of the edge of the cover similar to the edge of a roller blind.

Claims

1 Apparatus for containing space debris, said apparatus comprising a chamber means, wherein said chamber means has an opening wherein a flexible cover covers said opening, wherein an end of said flexible cover is attached to said chamber means, wherein an other end of said flexible cover is attached to cable means wherein space debris is positioned between said flexible cover and a plunger means wherein said plunger means pushes into said space debris and flexible cover wherein said cable means extends to allow said flexible cover to uncover said opening wherein said space debris enters into said chamber wherein said plunger means withdraws wherein said cable means retracts to allow said flexible cover to re-cover said opening.2 Apparatus for containing space debris according to claim 1, wherein said cable means is tensioned by spring and / or elastic and / or rubber means .3 Apparatus for containing space debris according to any preceding claim, wherein said chamber is attached to rail means to allow it's position in a payload bay of a space vehicle to be changed to allow an adjustable centre of gravity of said space vehicle depending on the mass of contents of said space debris in said chamber.4 Apparatus for containing space debris according to any preceding claim,wherein said chamber is lined with shock-absorbing foam means .

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