Reducing risk from asteroids and space debris
Southampton academics and experts from space agencies, industry and governments work together to reduce the risk from asteroids and space debris
Academics involved in space research at the University of Southampton have joined fellow specialists from around the world to discuss progress on developing ways to protect our planet if an asteroid looks likely to hit. Also on the agenda were innovative techniques to remove spent rocket stages and other potentially dangerous space debris which could collide with today’s multimillion pound communication satellites or even the International Space Station.
Leading academic researchers and representatives from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the UK Space Agency, Airbus Defence and Space and other companies came together at the workshop in Southampton to discuss their progress and to explore current issues as part of the European Commission-funded project Stardust, led by the University of Strathclyde. The four day conference was also streamed online to thousands of viewers across the world.
The danger of an asteroid impact is real, not science fiction. In 2013, a 17 metre asteroid exploded in the air over the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia with the energy of around 500 kilotonnes of TNT; many commuters filmed its fiery passage through the sky and thousands of people were injured by glass from windows shattered by the shock wave. In 1908, an asteroid around 50 metres in length exploded in the air over Tunguska in Siberia. Fortunately, it affected a remote forested area and there were no reported casualities, although around 80 million trees were felled.
The Stardust team from universities, companies and research centres in eight European countries is working on predicting asteroid and debris orbits and investigating how to remove or deflect potentially dangerous items. At Southampton, Dr Scott Walker and Dr Hugh Lewis, with PhD students Clemens Rumpf and Natalia Ortiz Gómez, are assessing what would happen if an asteroid were to hit the Earth and working on ways to stop man-made debris rotating so it can be captured safely. Dr Lewis advises on the subjects for the UK Space Agency at the United Nations and other international expert committees and appeared in a documentary on space debris linked to the Oscar-winning Hollywood movie Gravity. Members of the team are also working on the University of Southampton UoS3 project, which aims to send a small satellite into space and track its re-entry to the atmosphere.
“The University of Southampton has been the place for space debris research for the last 35 years,” says Stardust network co-ordinator Professor Massimiliano Vasile of the University of Strathclyde. “They have a worldwide reputation for research into the consequences of an impact by an asteroid on Earth and are helping to educate the next generation of space scientists and engineers.”
“There are many career opportunities in space engineering at the moment, it’s estimated there will be 100,000 jobs in the industry by 2020.” says Dr Scott Walker who started his career at Southampton in 1996 on an undergraduate Aeronautics and Astronautics degree.
Dr Detlef Koschny from ESA adds: “We value our links with academics from the Stardust programme who help us fill in the gaps in our knowledge. Working together will help us locate and observe asteroids, gather data about them and also communicate with policymakers and emergency services on impact risks.”
Southampton alumnus, Chief Engineer of the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and Visiting Professor, Richard Crowther, gave a keynote address at the conference; he is just one of many Southampton graduates in senior positions in government and in space companies, including UKSA’s Chief Executive David Parker. Richard says: “The quality, relevance and impact of its work in space is what initially attracted me to Southampton and their continued excellence ensures my ongoing engagement with its recognised experts in the field of astrodynamics and related subjects.”
Dr Steve Chesley of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory adds: “This international workshop, indeed the Stardust programme itself, allows a technical forum for discussing how to evaluate and respond to asteroid impact risks. These problems are plainly transnational, and so we are happy to have had this opportunity to interact with our colleagues from around the world.”
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