By Fareed Zakaria, CNN
When you think of Switzerland, the image that comes to mind is pristine, clean, unlittered. In fact, no one dares litter in Switzerland for fear of a huge fine.
Well, now they've taken their cleanliness to a new level - out of this world, you might say. The Swiss have decided they are going to clean up outer space.
Clean Space One announced this week by the Swiss Space Center will be a "janitor satellite" whose mission will be to tidy up the upper atmosphere.
There are said to be more than 500,000 pieces of space junk up there. When they're done with space, I'd love for them to pay a visit to my office.
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When they finish with the space please tell them to pay a visit to Naija,we need them here.
Cleanliness will soon be a myth in Switzerland. One might be fined in some Swiss-German cantons, if caught littering. At univesities students leave empty bottles, fast-food packaging and tabloids in auditoriums, Rubbish is often left lying on the pavement, in parks and on riverbanks and lakeshores. In many backstreets.
Forgot to mention that in many cantons each household has to buy bags from the community to dispose rubbish. It happens often that many travel to other cantons to dispose their rubbish or dump in in public places.
Fareed, you are so funny!
Fareed,
I'll agree to a "Clean Space One" attending to your office as long as they send a "Buxom Blond One" to mine.
Respected, Mr.Fareed Zakaria Garu, It is good news for entire Human World.
Why wait for them to finish up in space. Switzerland will send their swiss army with their swiss army knife to your office tomorrow to find all the junk. Get ready for the swiss army to walk out of your office with your brain. Because that is where all the junk is.
Is Fareed's brain made of Swiss chesse? It probably is.
If the swiss army uses their swiss army knives and removes his brain, it would at least prove that he has one. As for a presence of working gray matter in Basura's head, I'm not so sure.
Looks like somebody wokeup this morning with their panties in a bunch. Basura was funny. Take a chill pill dude.
They said they will only clean their own old satellites in orbit. Not all satellites
As a student working on this mission, I'm sorry to annouce you I've already promised to take care of my sister's flat after this project. Good luck for your office mister Zakaria!!
When they are done with space, maybe they can clean up American politics next.
The Swiss are tackling the extremely difficult, not the impossible.
Janitor Satellite? ..... Who will decide what is junk or to "clean-up" a functioning (possibly threatening) satellite?
It is nice to see a serious effort to address the Kessler Syndrome before we are excluded from orbiting satellites for 50-60 years.
Dang. The U.S. keeps losing grounds in space. Oh well, we still make the best weapons in the world, better to kill people with.
Garbage Patch next?
If ANY nation wants to start or continue a space program, this will have to be addressed.. It has gotten to the point that it's dangerous to send up manned space flights. this crap hits the hulls of these ships all the time.
A 2 ounce bolt moving at 38,000 mph in space has the same force as a VW new beetle driving 268 mph on a rain slicked highway.
I'd like to know just how much fuel would be required for a "janitor satellite" to intercept, match orbits with and scoop up even a dozen bits of space junk. Or are we talking about a miles-wide net of some kind, designed to circle the Earth for decades?
Could be done with solar power.
The space junk is collected and put into a canister which is sent off towards the sun. New empty canisters can be sent up on unmanned boosters. Look, this isn't a cheap solution but something has to be done if we're going to safely put up communication and weather satellites, not to mention people.
Sent towards the sun? I doubt it – that would take much, much more fuel than it's worth. Every "canister" would have to include a fully fueled rocket engine. It would make more sense to give it a little push and let it burn up in earth's atmosphere.
This is a fabulous and noble undertaking.
Kudos to the Swiss !!
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Wait to see what the Swiss are going to do with the garbage they collect before giving away your kudos. They are going to dump it all in one corner of the space, since space doesn't have a rug to sweep it under. Or they are going to bring it all back and dump it in Fareed's office.
Ideally, they would de-orbit the stuff. Only takes just a tiny change in orbital velocity to de-orbit a lot of this stuff.
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Space doesn't have any corners either. I think they should bring it back and sell it on eBay to pay for the project. "Get Your Authentic Space Junk Here! Actual Metal Fragment From Orbit!" Hey if a blob of glue can sell for $230,000, then actual "Stuff From Space" should do even better.
The Swiss clearly have an escape plan for when Earth becomes too hostile for human life. They need to clean up this mess so the path will be clear for their people to esacpe.
Does Switzerland.even have any space launch capability/technology?
Switzerland is part of ESA, the European Space Agency. ESA provides launch capability for Europe.
This is a good plot for a future episode of The Sopranos..."Goombas In Space" Joey's gonna sleep with the satellites.
It has to be a neutral nation like Switzerland. The device they need to build is essentially a co-orbital anti-satellite weapon, the development of which would mortify and mobilize the enemies of any existing space-faring nation.
COguy....I believe you hit the nail on the head.....
leave it to you mortals to crap all over everything....
Why aren't we the good guys!? We should aspire to be as proud of our earth as the Swiss are.
Why aren't we the good guys??? Are we ever???
We're one of the leading polluters in the word; we pick unnecessary wars; we push our form of government; we have a corrupt political system, etc etc etc.
Heck, we can't even allow gays to marry in all states. We have a long way to go before we're "the good guys"...
Second that.
A VERY long way ........
Who not start in DC? That's more urgent.
shikata ga nai
Their satellite was tested on Hoboken, NJ - it broke.
Bravo, Swiss!
This is a very important issue and will only get worse with the advancement of technology in budding space programs.I once messed with Texas,and it was only once!
Thats no moon!
Perhaps it's a space station.
Perhaps they should work on scrubbing the air near my gaseous emissions. Certainly given enough time they will also pose a threat to the upper atmosphere.
This was my idea years ago. I'm glad somebody has decided to give it a try as I do not have the resources to go it alone.
Is it all a joke? The swiss does not even know how to build an airplane. All they know is how to hoard money from wealthy foreigners in their bank accounts. Oh, also they know how to make watches and swiss army knives and cheese with holes in them. Satellites? that also one which looks like a vacuum cleaner? Space itself is a vacuum. How are they going to suck vacuum with a vacuum? Since the Swiss are going to use money from the secret swiss bank accounts setup by foreign politicians like Mitt Romney, it isn't a bad deal even if the satellite fails to collect junk. These people are not going to go to court over their money hidden away from uncle Sam.
oh no, they don't need to use a vacuum cleaner in space. The swiss satellite will have very sophisticated junk collection mechanism. They are putting a thick layer of swiss cheese onto the front of the satellite. As the satellite zips very fast, all the little space junk will get stuck in the holes in the swiss cheese. Once the cheese is full they will put it between two slices of bread and throw it towards earth. The satellite will then put a new thick slice of swiss cheese for the next round of the orbit.
Fareed needs to just shut up. So tired of him and his pro-islamist apologist rhetoric.