Space Junk To Be Recycled For Missions To Mars

Since the success of the first man on the Moon, scientists and space agencies have taken it upon themselves, with the help of governments, to explore as much as they can about the universe. Unfortunately, with such great lengths to gain knowledge comes a chain of orbital debris that now surrounds our planet.

NASA estimated about half a million fragments of debris out in space, some small flecks of paint, while others, corpses of dead satellites that ran out of fuel. Many of these post threats to the International Space Station or other satellites -- collisions are not unlikely in space, after all. Space.com noted that space junk is a well-known problem, but dealing with it is another issue altogether: there is a lack of economic support.

This is why Firefly Space Systems CEO Tom Markusic proposed to recycle some of the dead space satellites for missions to the Red Planet. Nuts, bolts and electronics are among the things that a Mars colony would need, and spacecraft could tow dead satellites out of Earth Orbit using solar electric propelled tugs to reduce fuel costs. These tugs would then go to Mars moon, Phobos, for humans to disassemble and use again.

With the several hundred dead satellites that could be used, space junk components could save launch costs from the Earth's surface. "They could be reassembled and reconfigured into the types of hardware that our pathfinder missions, our human missions, will need out there at Mars," Markusic said.

Inc.com also stated that harvesting materials from dead satellites is much less expensive than putting together support equipment for Mars missions -- getting materials off Earth could cost as much as $10,000 per pound. SpaceX and other companies are working to reduce the costs, but the approach of recycling space junk has the added benefit of cutting the risks of catastrophes associated with an overcrowded orbit.