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An Ion-beam shepherd (IBS) is a concept in which the orbit and/or attitude of a spacecraft or a generic orbiting body is modified by having a beam of quasi-neutral plasma impinging against its surface to create a force and/or a torque on the target. Ion and plasma thrusters commonly used to propel spacecraft can be employed to produce a collimated plasma/ion beam and point it towards the body. The fact that the beam can be generated on a "shepherd" spacecraft placed in proximity of the target without physical attachment with the latter provides an interesting solution for space applications such as space debris removal, asteroid deflection and space transportation in general. The Technical University of Madrid (UPM) is exploring this concept〔C. Bombardelli and J. Peláez, «Sistema de modificación de la posición y actitud de cuerpos en órbita por medio de satélites guía», Patent number P201030354. Presented at the Spanish Patent Office on March 11, 2010. PCT Patent Application PCT/ES2011/000011〕 by developing analytical and numerical control models in collaboration with the Advanced Concepts Team of the European Space Agency. The concept has also been proposed independently by JAXA and CNES. ==How it works== The force and torque transmitted to the target originate from the momentum carried out by the plasma ions (typically xenon) which are accelerated to a few tens of kilometer per second by an ion or plasma thruster. The ions that reach the target surface lose their energy following nuclear collision in the substrate of the target material. In order to keep a constant distance between the target and the shepherd spacecraft the latter must carry a secondary propulsion system (e.g. another ion or plasma thruster) compensating for the reaction force created by the targeted ion beam. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ion Beam Shepherd」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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