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posted by janrinok on Wednesday June 20 2018, @05:16PM   Printer-friendly
from the wanted,-a-big-vacuum-cleaner dept.

NASA Administrator expresses support for Space Policy Directive-3

With the threat of space debris destroying satellites, crewed spacecraft and even the International Space Station increasing, processes have been initiated to help alleviate and prevent this threat. NASA's new Administrator Jim Bridenstine made several statements about the new Space Policy Directive-3, which was signed by President Trump. During the June 18, 2018, meeting of the National Space Council, Trump signed SPD-3, which directs the U.S. to lead the management of space traffic and mitigate the effects of space debris.

[...] This comes less than a month after the signing of SPD-2, which called for the reform of the United States' commercial space regulatory framework. Additionally, SPD-1 was signed in December 2017, which instructed NASA to return U.S. astronauts to the Moon with the eventual goal of human flights to Mars.

[...] One of the main features of SPD-3 is the management of space debris. It calls for the U.S. to utilize government and commercial technologies to track and monitor debris and set new guidelines for satellite for satellite design and operation.

Additionally, it calls for the update of the U.S. government's Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices, which currently states that spacecraft and upper stages should be designed to eliminate or minimize debris released during normal operations. Additionally, any debris larger than five millimeters that is expected to remain in orbit for more than 25 years is to be justified on the basis of cost and mission requirements.

NASA Administrator statement.

Related: President Trump Signs Space Policy Directive 1
2020s to Become the Decade of Lunar Re-Exploration
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine Serious About Returning to the Moon
Jeff Bezos Details Moon Settlement Ambitions in Interview


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by frojack on Thursday June 21 2018, @01:16AM (1 child)

    by frojack (1554) on Thursday June 21 2018, @01:16AM (#695909) Journal

    Only the Chinese actually tested a killsat in orbit AFAIK.

    Sort of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASM-135_ASAT [wikipedia.org]

    Chinese launched a rocket from the ground, which hunted its target.
    US launched from an F15, which is much more flexible.

    The US shot down an old satellite September 1985, The pieces decayed quickly from orbit. According to NASA, as of January 1998, 8 of 285 trackable pieces [of the target] remained in orbit. It was a pretty low orbit to begin with.

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  • (Score: 2) by DavePolaschek on Thursday June 21 2018, @12:40PM

    by DavePolaschek (6129) on Thursday June 21 2018, @12:40PM (#696160) Homepage Journal

    The US also "shot down" a satellite with a ground-launched Nike Zeus armed with a nuke in May 1963 (see the same wikipedia article).