Orbiting Robot Will Gather Space Junk and Turn It Into New Satellites

of course if we wanted to destroy a satellite, any old radar space missile would do just fine. to capture is high tech

It's a good idea. rather than just destroying space junk, or crashing it into the ocean, why not harvest it for recycling?

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why would you take space junk (outdated, possibly damaged material) to build NEW satellites in space?

I think removing space junk good.

Creating a robot and putting this in space in effort to relive old space junk a wasted effort verse just sending up new satellites.

Yes!! Thats what I was hoping for.

heres the idea i had about that awhile back.

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-11/russia-invests-2-billion-clean-space-debris

The Russians planned on destroying all of the debris

I'm not sure why everyone is knocking this. I can still run my Win7 computer on a monitor from my old Win95 machine. Ideal? No. Cheaper and functional? Yes. Just because it is old doesn't mean it is useless. Any university (let alone scores of other companies and businesses) would love to be able to have their own discount satellite. I wonder what they will do with the "old guts" from the refurbished satellites. Probably deorbit it, but bringing it back to the ISS for a return ride on a cargo vessel could work too I would think.

(Disclaimer: I do not use an old monitor, I much prefer my widescreen lcd. However, I am not in orbit.)

or u could attack enemy satellites and reprogram them...

Personally I think its a good idea to clean up the junk, but it would be a better idea if they could show that we were capable of smelting down the metal's and make other useful tools.

I read a lot about creating colonies in space where we utilize asteroids or the moons natural resources to build things, but until they actually come up with a way to do this, I don't think it would be even close to possible.

This might be that first step:)

I happily volunteer to be a space junk astronaut and push the dysfunctional satellites into a fiery death into the ocean!

The best way to do it is to use a low tech "Gatherer" to bring all the defunct satellites to one location. I don't see them being brought to the ISS because it's orbit is so low. Most of the big birds are at 10K and 20K mile orbits. If you could bring them into a collective "Junkyard" Then you could have some of the robots we are developing for ISS to take parts and make new ones. This just might work.

Too bad they cant give our politicians new brain packs and disconnect their old ones. Then they could use their large loud mouths to say something intelligent for a change!