Re: What are we going to do about all the space junk?

Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
22 Apr 1999 20:03:48 +0200

Spike Jones <spike66@ibm.net> writes:

> Anders Sandberg wrote: An idea that came up due to some email discussions:
> have a big sail,
>
> > built from nano- or micro-machines. Let debris rip through it, making
> > some easily repairable holes and leaving some of the machines on the
> > debris. When they are removed from the sail, they start digesting the
> > debris and converting it into a small, inert sail. Using some simple
> > navigation (make an angle of X degrees with light of this spectrum)
> > they either drift away from orbit, or merge with the sail which can
> > digest them.
>
> Anders this is the coolest thing I have seen in a long time. Did you
> think of it? spike

Well, yes. I'm not sure I was first, as Gina pointed out Drexler might have thought about it too. And likely several others.

I arrived at this idea due to my sf/roleplaying interest (again): I was originally thinking some years back (around 91 or so) about space-living creatures, and the concept of living solar sails came up. Since then I have occasionally developed the idea a bit further.

Of course, building the above stuff is likely tricky. But a fun exercise in smart materials and distributed control.

-- 
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Anders Sandberg                                      Towards Ascension!
asa@nada.kth.se                            http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/
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