Team: 13
School: La Cueva High
Area of Science: Astrophysics
Interim: The Problem: As space becomes more accessible by military and non-military organizations more and more satellites are being put into orbit. However, the more satellites there are in orbit, the greater the chances of potential collisions between satellites and other debris become. In order to counteract this problem organizations, such as the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), are implementing techniques in order to observe and track the growing number of satellites and debris that could collide and pose a risk to national security. According to the GAO report, there are “almost 5,500 active satellites in orbit as of spring 2022†and the numbers will continue to grow with estimates of an additional 58,000 launches by 2030. The immediate development and implementation of tracking techniques is crucial if the military is to expand into space. So, how would they track multiple objects in space?
Solution: Our environment for the experiment will consist of a 3-body simulation with the Earth,
the moon, and a (presumedly spherical) piece of debris. Taking into account the position of debris in relation to the sun and calculating how much light would be visible bouncing off of these satellites into the lens of something like a telescope, we are able to test the effective range of telescopes that we use. Through a multitude of tests and changing the variables of the simulation, we can see how various setups for tracking would function in different scenarios. Additionally, another script will make an estimate of how expensive the setups used will be in order for us to discover the most cost-effective and efficient tracking method we can.
Progress to Date: At this point in development, we have designed a 2D simulation of the cislunar orbits we plan to track. However, we are taking the simulation into a 3D space with a python extension called matplotlib, and in the process adding telescopes into the simulation. Several optimizations have been made in our code so that the simulation runs fast enough to effectively run both this simulation and the background calculations we need without a significant delay. Background calculations will include finding the amount of light that a telescope may receive given variables such as its distance from the debris and the quantum efficiency of the telescope. As of now, we have yet to incorporate these calculations into the simulation or factored in how the phase of the debris will affect its visibility. Once these fundamental parts of the code have been put together, another calculation that will estimate the price of the satellites used will be added.
Expected Results: We hope our result to be a sufficient method to track satellites and debris throughout space in a cost-effective manner. In order to accomplish this we have to combine our results from the 3D sim, inverse square light diffraction, phases of the debris, and the total cost of running such an operation. We hope to come to a solution that can be improved on for future uses and useful for more than just the military.
Works Cited:
Office, U.S. Government Accountability. “Large Constellations of Satellites: Mitigating Environmental and Other Effects.†Large Constellations of Satellites: Mitigating Environmental and Other Effects | U.S. GAO, https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-22-105166.
Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, December 13). Inverse-square law. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inverse-square_law
Wikimedia Foundation. (2022, November 23). Quantum efficiency. Wikipedia. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_efficiency
Academic.oup.com. (n.d.). How Bright is Moonlight? Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://academic.oup.com/astrogeo/article/58/1/1.31/2938119?login=false
Air Force Research Laboratory. (2021, March 21). AFRL’s Cislunar Highway Patrol System seeks industry collaboration Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.afrl.af.mil/News/Article/2972971/afrls-cislunar-highway-patrol-system-seeks-industry-collaboration/
Team Members:
Ximena Serna
Hadwyn Link
Kylen Reyner
Sponsoring Teacher: Jeremy Jensen