science

RemoveDEBRIS

RemoveDEBRIS is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand RemoveDEBRIS rather than just read about it. In short: RemoveDEBRIS was a satellite research project intending to demonstrate various space debris removal technologies. The mission was led by the Surrey Space Centre from the University of Surrey with the satellite's platform manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL).

Key takeaways

RemoveDEBRIS belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect RemoveDEBRIS to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of RemoveDEBRIS from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

RemoveDEBRIS was a satellite research project intending to demonstrate various space debris removal technologies. The mission was led by the Surrey Space Centre from the University of Surrey with the satellite's platform manufactured by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL). Partners on the project included Airbus, ArianeGroup, Swiss Center for Electronics and Microtechnology, Inria, Innovative Solutions In Space, Surrey Space Centre, and Stellenbosch University.

Mission overview Rather than engaging in active debris removal (ADR) of real space debris, the RemoveDEBRIS mission plan was to test the efficacy of several ADR technologies on mock targets in low Earth orbit. In order to complete its planned experiments the platform was equipped with a net, a harpoon, a laser ranging instrument, a dragsail, and two CubeSats (miniature research satellites). The experiments were as follows:

Net experiment - One of the CubeSats, called DebrisSat 1, deployed a balloon meant to simulate a piece of space debris. From a short distance away, the RemoveDEBRIS satellite captured the debris in a net and then manoeuvred this package to fall into Earth's atmosphere and burn up. Vision-based navigation – The other CubeSat, called DebrisSat 2, was released and the RemoveDEBRIS satellite underwent a series of manoeuvres in order to obtain data and images using both lidar and optical cameras. Harpoon and deployable target – A harpoon connected by a tether was fired at a plate attached to an arm extending from the RemoveDEBRIS platform itself. Dragsail – After the conclusion of the other experiments the satellite attempted to deploy a large sail to act in a similar fashion to an air brake. The dragsail was supposed to bring RemoveDEBRIS from the relatively low orbital altitude of the space station into the planet's atmosphere to safely disintegrate. In the end, the dragsail failed to deploy.

Design

Platform The RemoveDEBRIS platform was based on a SSTL X50 bus that had been customised for deployment from the International Space Station. The platform hosted all the experimental payloads as well as providing power, data and control for the mission. A high degree of autonomy was built in using time-tagged commands to allow experiments to be run out of sight of the groundstation.

CubeSats

DebrisSat 1 The DebrisSat 1 (DS-1, a.k.a. REMDEB-NET, COSPAR 1998-067PM) was built by engineers and students at the University of Surrey and was based on a 2U CubeSat measuring 100 × 100 × 227 mm. 1U of the satellite contained the power and avionics to power the payload. The payload contained an inflatable designed to provide a large target area for the next experiment. A Cold Gas Generator (CGG) was used to inflate six aluminium booms to provide a frame. Small aluminium sails attached to the end of the booms then deployed during the inflation. DebrisSat 1 decayed from orbit on 2 March 2019.

DebrisSat 2 The DebrisSat 2 (DS-2, a.k.a. REMDEB-DS2, COSPAR: 1998-067PR) was also based on a 2U CubeSat with two deployable panels solar panels and communications. The spacecraft contained a GPS receiver as well as an inter-satellite link to provide location and attitude data back to the platform to assess the VBN camera performance. The avionics were based on the QB50 avionics stack developed by the Surrey Space Centre and Electronic Systems Laboratory (ESL) at Stellenbosch University. In addition the spacecraft also tested out a low-cost UART camera which was able to beam back pictures to the platform as it separated. DebrisSat 2 deorbited 30 May 2020.

Timeline

Launch After final system end-to-end and environmental testing, the RemoveDebris spacecraft was shipped to Nanoracks in Houston and then onto the launch site at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The spacecraft was placed in an ISS cargo transfer bag and placed in the pressurised section of the CRS-14 SpaceX Dragon 1 spacecraft. The Dragon resupply mission with RemoveDEBRIS onboard was launched 2 April 2018, arriving at the ISS on 4 April. The RemoveDebris spacecraft was unloaded from the capsule. NASA Astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold removed the platform handling panels, completed final preparation and loaded the satellite into the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) airlock on 6 June 2018. An airlock cycle was performed on 19 June 2018 and RemoveDEBRIS moved outside the JEM via the airlock slide table. The spacecraft was grasped by the Kaber interface on the Mobile Servicing System Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (MSS SPDM) and placed in the deployment position.

Deployment Deployment of the satellite from the station's Kibo module via robotic Canadarm-2 took place on 20 June 2018. At approximately 100 kg, RemoveDEBRIS was the largest satellite to have ever been deployed from the ISS. The platform contained two CubeSat deployers from ISISPACE. The full lifespan of the mission from launch to re-entry was estimated at 1.5 years.

Net experiment On 16 September 2018, it demonstrated its ability to use a net to capture a deployed simulated target.

VBN experiment On 28 October 2018, DebrisSat 2 was deployed at 06:15UTC. The VBN camera on the platform took 361 images of the spacecraft crucial to determining the performance of the camera system. Position and attitude data from DebrisSat 2 was transmitted back to the platform providing ground truth for the experiment. DebrisSat 2 also forwarded low resolution photos of the deployment to the platform from its own vantage point.

Harpoon experiment On 8 February 2019, SSTL demonstrated the RemoveDEBRIS harpoon which was fired at a speed of 20 metres per second penetrating a simulated target extended from the satellite on a 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) boom.

Dragsail experiment The deployment of the dragsail was targeted for 4 March 2019. After the deploy command had been sent, no expected changes in spacecraft behaviour were detected. After an investigation it was determined that the most likely result was a partial or failed deployment of the inflatable boom which prevented the sail from deploying. Lessons learnt from this attempt were put into practice for two new dragsails that were deployed on the Spaceflight SSO-A mission.

See also e.Deorbit, a similar concept that was planned to use a net. Cancelled.

References

External links RemoveDEBRIS Mission at Surrey Space Centre RemoveDEBRIS Mission at eoPortal

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with RemoveDEBRIS

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what RemoveDEBRIS claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to RemoveDEBRIS before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about RemoveDEBRIS ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of RemoveDEBRIS

In research: RemoveDEBRIS appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses RemoveDEBRIS in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: RemoveDEBRIS is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2018 in the United Kingdom, CubeSats, Satellites deployed from the International Space Station, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for RemoveDEBRIS outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study RemoveDEBRIS in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what RemoveDEBRIS means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain RemoveDEBRIS out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is RemoveDEBRIS in simple terms?

Why does RemoveDEBRIS matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study RemoveDEBRIS?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on RemoveDEBRIS.