Save up to 20% on your first order
Apply HELLO20
Description:
Despite the precariousness in which scientists live in Portugal, a group of researchers from the University of Coimbra has managed to develop a low-cost mechanism for detecting space junk, which could save the lives of astronauts. With the so-called "new space economy", which consists of the commercialisation of space exploration with the participation of private companies, there are more and more satellites in low orbits, less than 1,000 kilometres from Earth, and consequently more debris, which can be a danger to astronauts and stations in the exosphere. Nuno Peixinho, an astronomer at the University of Coimbra, who is part of the six-person team developing this low-cost system for detecting space debris, explained to EFE that the mechanism consists of mini-cameras that take images and use algorithms to calculate the trail left by satellites. SOUNDBITES OF NUNO PEIXINHO, ASTRONOMER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COIMBRA. INTERVIEW BY ZOOM. Translation TOTAL 1: "We had already experimented, the project started with the idea that we wanted to understand how with one of those very cheap cameras, easy to acquire, we could put in a mini-computer to control the camera and make images good enough to be able to aspire to detect space debris with one of those cameras". TOTAL2: "That area (low orbit) is very crowded with satellites and the more stuff we put in there, the more junk there is, so there's always a little bit left over. The satellite when it is there or during the launch releases a little bit of ink or some little thing, there is always some fragment of stuff". TOTAL3: "We have about 35,000 objects with more than 10 centimetres in orbit around the Earth, of those we know where 90% are, so there's always 10% that we don't know where they are. The 90% we know where they are, where they are going to pass, we have them well under control, so we can avoid them. The problem is that between 1 centimetre and 10 (cm) there are almost a million, more than a million particles". TOTAL4: "The problem is that most of the research th

Susana Samhan/EPA-EFE
Dateline: December 26, 2023

Portuguese Scientists Develop Method To Detect Space Debris Despite Precariousne Video

EPA_Video's Artist Page
Item ID: 259730905
Editorial Usage
$149
$299
License Options
We are preparing your download. This process might take up to 2 minutes.
Digital Only License Included
This item is for editorial usage only. Need commercial use?
To discuss commercial use options, please send your request to our .

Related Searches

space exploration space debris space junk writing check writing check writing check

Video Categories