Scientists are developing an ultra-thin spacecraft that can remove space debris — which potentially threatens satellites or astronauts — by enveloping junk in the Earth’s orbit and dragging it through the atmosphere, causing it to burn up. The Brane Craft, being developed by U.S.-based Aerospace Corporation, is flexible and measures less than half the thickness of a human hair.
“It has to be bullet-proof, because a five-micron diametre particle can penetrate the main structural sheet, which is only 10 microns thick,” said senior scientist Siegfried Janson .
The spacecraft’s microprocessor and digital electronics are fabricated in such a way that if one component gets damaged, the others will continue to work.