For the first time in space, a historic experiment degraded metal. A robot that softened metal through friction was recent aboard a SpaceX rideshare trip, showcasing a technology that might one day be used to combat rogue space trash. With tens of thousands of pieces floating around in orbit and more satellites being launched into low Earth orbit by the day, the United States government and commercial corporations alike are looking for new ways to keep the zone from becoming too clogged up for space research. In recent weeks, NASA, Congress, and the Federal Communications Commission have all issued new procedures for dealing with space debris.
Friction milling is a method used on the Transporter-5 mission earlier this year to soften metal by using a cutting tool spinning at high revolutions per minute. (In this experiment, the robotic arm and samples were entirely enclosed to prevent the creation of new space debris.) In the near future, Nanoracks (which hosts US experiments aboard the International Space Station) hopes to create a series of Outpost stations that would house payloads aboard expired rocket stages, although the first test took place aboard a rideshare rocket.
The involved entities noted that there is still much more to learn for future Outpost operations (which included Nanoracks, Voyager, and Maxar, which provided the robotic arm.) The mission accomplished its aim of cutting up a single "coupon" or piece of corrosion-resistant steel identical to that found on the exterior of a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket, but the robot did not complete the two more coupons provided as a "reach goal."
According to Marshall Smith, Nanoracks' senior vice president of space systems, "we will investigate why the two extra coupons were not cut."
The mission, known as Outpost Mars Demo-1, is the first in a series of demonstrations of metal cutting in space. Officials said they will evaluate the available information before announcing plans for a second trip now that the demonstrator has safely burnt up in Earth's atmosphere.