Thousands of tons of space debris are currently orbiting the earth and it is growing all the time. Mostly it is the remains of completed space missions or disused satellites. The dangerous thing about it: Even centimeter-sized parts can cause immense damage in a collision with active satellites, spacecraft and space stations. Researchers at the Technical University of Braunschweig, in cooperation with the Saarbrücken Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM), have developed a mechanism for “trapping” space debris. This has now been successfully tested on board the International Space Station (ISS) under space conditions.
The particular challenges when gripping space debris are that on the one hand conventional suction gripping systems do not work in the vacuum of space and on the other hand objects in space do not show themselves to be cooperative: they stagger, send no signals and cannot regulate their position and position. Gecko adhesive structures developed at INM, which are fully functional under vacuum conditions, come into question as an innovative gripping system. For docking, scientists from the Institute for Space Systems at the TU Braunschweig have implemented a mechanism that can automatically approach a free-floating object.
At the end of December 2020, the US astronaut Victor Glover and a month later his colleague Shannon Walker demonstrated the newly developed docking mechanism with the gecko adhesive materials provided by the INM on the ISS. Astrobees, small flying robots developed by NASA, were equipped with the new technology. The modified Astrobees were then tested to “grab” space junk.
The gecko technology used in the docking mechanism, which is inspired by the ability of the gecko foot to adhere and detach in a controlled manner, is already used today for so-called handling applications, e.g. B. in robotics. However, their use in space applications is new. For this reason, various gecko adhesive materials were tested on different surfaces on board the ISS, which are typically installed in spacecraft or satellites, e.g. B. Acrylic glass for solar panels, multilayer insulation as thermal insulation material and aluminum for the outer skin.
The knowledge gained in this way now opens up new perspectives for further missions, both in the laboratory and in space.
background
The gecko-inspired adhesive materials were provided by the Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM). The Astrobees are a NASA development. The Institute for Space Systems at the TU Braunschweig was responsible for the experiment as part of the REGGAE (REduced Gravity Gecko Adhesion docking Experiments) project, which is funded by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWi).
Your contact person:
Prof. Dr. Eduard doctor
Scientific director
Head of Functional Microstructures
Tel.: 0681-9300-500
Email: [email protected]
Dr. René Hensel
Deputy Head of Functional Microstructures
Tel: 0681-9300-390
Email: [email protected]
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