The Problem
Space debris is a growing hazard that threatens the sustainability of the orbital activities that we depend on for our daily lives, such as GPS, internet, television, weather monitoring, and emergency response. Thousands of trackable objects larger than 10 cm can collide with satellites and spacecraft, creating more debris and increasing the likelihood of more collisions. This results in a cascade effect known as Kessler Syndrome.
Currently, there is no cost-effective method to collect or destroy space debris and prevent further damage to the space environment.
Our Solution
To address this challenge, we designed the Debris Elimination & Management Instrument (DEMI), a collection mechanism that can capture and store multiple pieces of small debris in low Earth orbit (LEO). DEMI works with a two stage capture system: an outer aperture that encloses the debris, and an inner door that seals it inside a storage chamber.
Our design consists of an inner and outer aperture. The outer aperture is mailbox-like and is responsible for the initial grab of the space debris. The inner aperture functions like a garage door between the initial capture area and the storage container (not pictured).
Together, the inner and outer apertures create a grabbing mechanism that can grab and store multiple pieces of orbital space debris.
This project was in collaboration with NASA JPL; however, we were responsible for every part of the engineering process, including CAD, analysis, prototyping, and final manufacturing.
Take a look at our project video and expo poster below:
Initial Approach
Our first few iterations of DEMI resembled a claw. The mechanism had several symmetrical petals that would open and close uniformly with one degree of freedom.
