ExtremeTech has an article suggesting the International Space Station may add a Laser "CAN-non" in coming years.
The business end of the proposed laser system would be a Coherent Amplification Network (CAN) laser that can focus a single powerful beam on a piece of debris. The laser would vaporize the surface of the target, causing a plume of plasma to push the object away from the station and toward the atmosphere.
This is still just a proposal, but a test version of the laser might be deployed to the station in a few years.
The Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) is scheduled to be installed on Japan's ISS module in 2017. This is not by design a space-junk-killing piece of equipment. It's intended to monitor the atmosphere for ultraviolet emissions caused by cosmic rays.
However it might serve as an experimental platform for testing (at much lower power) the capability of slight deflections of orbiting space junk.
We discussed the general problem of space junk here on Soylent News at the beginning of the month.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Tuesday May 19 2015, @07:39PM
Mr. Dick Chenery says:
can·non
ˈkanən/
noun
noun: cannon; plural noun: cannons; noun: cannon bit; plural noun: cannon bits
1.
a large, heavy piece of artillery, typically mounted on wheels, formerly used in warfare.
Except for not having wheels, I think it qualifies for the term, while your air gun does not.
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