Introducing: The DDM (Debris Deflection Mechanism)
By: Horace Mann Robotics Team
How the DDM works
Our robots would be used to protect the ISS (or International Space Station). There would be a swarm of them covering every inch of the ISS. Our robot will track space junk and hit it with its swatter. Using Amber Yang's software (above), it is able to know when the spacecraft is in danger of being hit by space junk. When this happens, our robot will use sensors to see the exact position of the space junk. Then, it will use its swatter to hit it out of orbit, or into the atmosphere where it will burn up.
Kevlar + Oobleck
Our robot's swatter would be made using a combination of Oobleck and Kevlar. As you may know, Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid. That means that when it is gently pushed, it is liquid. But, when it is hit really hard, it becomes more solid. Since we will be dealing with space debris going thousands of miles per hour, Oobleck will deal very well with it, and be very hard.
Kevlar is used in the US military to block bullets. It can deflect objects going very fast because it is very strong. It can block bullets because it won't melt under heat, or break. With a combination of Kevlar and Oobleck, our swatter will be able to deflect almost every object!
The space suits would also be coated with this to prevent harm to astronauts during space walks. The white netting in the model represents our Oobleck and Kevlar combo.
Our Solution:
Because space debris is such a big problem in the space community, we decided that we can't wait any longer. Our group of girls came up with a possible solution that could be a suggestion to the scientists that can help solve this problem. Our solution is to build a model of sensors that see when space debris is coming and swat it away. This solution is inspired by 19-year-old Amber Yang (video on our website). When the spacecraft swats away the debris, it pushes the debris further away from the Earth. In addition, besides just the Earth, the sensors can protect the international space station from getting hit as well as the people inside potentially dying. Therefore, these swatters can possibly be a solution to the inevitable spreading of debris in space and a possible suggestion for scientists to use.