We can estimate the beginning of the Space age to be around the late 50's when the last stage of the rocket that launched Sputnik-1, remained in orbit.It has been in orbit since. Nearly 5000 space launches later we have an accelerating problem known as Space junk or space debris. This is the leftover damaged parts of satellites, spent rocket casings, defunct material along with other man made objects that orbit close to the Earth's surface. Nearly 70% of the low earth orbit which is roughly 2000 km above the planet will become un-usable for orbital launches unless something is not done soon to rectify the problem of Space Debris. The main concern about space debris is possible collision with active or functioning satellites or spacecraft.

 So what exactly is Space debris? Did you know it can be categorized into two types- natural and artificial. Natural space debris consists of small pieces of cometary and asteroidal material called meteoroids. We see these as meteors when they travel through the Earth's atmosphere.Artificial space debris is any non-functional man-made object in space (usually orbiting the Earth).

At a recent European Space Conference it was discussed that governments must start working towards the removal of orbital debris immediately before it becomes a catastrophic problem for satellites in the near future. As of now there is no written international law to tackle the issue. Also there is no agency involved in active removal of existing debris from orbit.

Space debris travels at 25000 km per hour so even a small object can puncture a hole and cripple a satellite in the low orbital region. 

The problem can be solved in a number of ways. 

• Objects in low altitude orbits (below about 500 km) are affected by atmospheric drag. This lowers their orbit until they re-enter the atmosphere and are thus naturally removed from orbit. The lower the orbit the faster it decays. 
• Space "tugs" could be employed to "catch" large space debris objects and either lower their altitudes for natural decay, or bring them back to Earth. 
• Giant "sponge" like objects could be deployed to "catch" or "soak up" small debris pieces. After a time, the sponge would be removed from orbit. 
• Attach tails or tethers to large pieces of space debris to increase the drag they experience and lower their orbits. 
• Use large ground based lasers to "push" small pieces of debris into lower orbits.

All of these schemes will be very expensive and use technology that is still to be developed. 

We know that Fusion energy can feed the energy hungry human population for years to come after all, it is the energy derived from the Sun and the stars. With this thought in mind the ITER project was set up as a  unique collaboration involving more than half of the global humanity.The ITER partners are the Peoples Republic of China, The European Union, India, Republic of Korea, Japan, Russian Federation and the United States of America.The mission-  Create unlimited supplies of cheap, clean, safe and sustainable electricity from atomic fusion and thereby feed the energy hungry human civilization for a very long time.

The project was initiated almost twenty five years ago when a group of industrial nations decided to develop a new cleaner way to get a sustainable source of unlimited energy. Fossil fuels were damaging the planet and its environment and there had to be a cheaper easier way to meet with the global energy demands which were set to triple by the end of the century. 

In 1985 at the Geneva summit, President Mitterand of France and Prime Minister Thatcher of the United Kingdom, General Secretary Gorbachev of the former Soviet Union proposed to U.S. President Reagan an international project aimed at developing fusion energy for peaceful purposes.

The building which houses the project is being constructed in an idyllic hilltop setting in the Cadarache forest of Provence in the south of France. With what is one of the largest global projects undertaken by governments of over 34 nations fusion energy will become the unlimited source of intrinsically safe- no carbon emission-no pollution energy. That's when the ITER projet was born. The People's Republic of China and the Republic of Korea joined the project in 2003 and India in 2005.

India's role in the ITER project is the development of the heaviest and the largest parts of the Tokamak reactor. The reactor which is doughnut shped will hold the plasma which will be needed for the Fusion reaction. A mixture of Deuterium and Tritium will power the reactor heating it up to exceedingly high temperatures. India will deliver the first ever components of the reactor by 2015. The Tokamak reactor is supposed to measure thrice the height of the Eiffel tower. The Iter tokamak machine will produce temperatures of well over 100 million C – many times hotter than the center of the Sun.

No single nation can face these challenges alone and so this collaboration will enhance and mitigate disastrous outcomes caused by efforts to meet energy needs. In the wake of the Fukushima disaster, Japan and other countries in Asia are opting for viable green energy to fulfill the need of their populations.

Everyone around us is talking Solar energy today. It is the unlimited potential of the Sun to provide us with huge amounts of power that will keep the energy hungry human population satiated from years to come. But using Solar power technology is not only expensive but is also deficient to the common man. Also, it requires rare Earth minerals and efficiency to make massive installations of Solar technology practical. What can be done to make Solar power affordable to the common man.

Did you know that it would take 2% of the Sahara Desert's land area to supply the world's electricity needs ? Scientists at IBM aren't thinking bigger, in fact they are thinking much smaller -- at the nanoscale. 

To come up with a solution for cheap solar power and for the manufacture of photovoltaic systems that are not only cheaper and affordable but also a whole lot smaller a new collaboration between IBM research, Airlight Energy and Swiss university was initiated on Earth Day , April 22. The idea is to harness the energy of the sun 2000 times by using small 1x1 cm chips. These chips would collect the energy in a concentrated manner thereby making the entire process cheaper and affordable.

The name give to the device that will convert and concentrate the Sun's energy 2000 times is the prototype High Concentration PhotoVoltaic Thermal (HCPVT) system. This uses a large parabolic dish made from a multitude of mirror facets. To best determine the most accurate angle of the sun, a tracking system is attached that determines the position of the sun.Each chip can convert 200–250 watts, on average, over a typical eight hour day in a sunny region.

The HCPVT also gives out thermal energy and water as a by product. While current concentration photovoltaic systems only collect electrical energy and dissipate the thermal energy to the atmosphere, the HCPVT will use the water for vaporising and then desalinating the salty water to provide 30-40 litres of drinkable water while generating electricity. Also the thermal energy can be put to good use by providing air conditioning with the help of a thermal driven adsorption chiller.

Scientists look to a bright future for the HCPVT system hoping to provide sustainable energy and potable water to locations around the world. Remote tourism locations are also an interesting market, particularly resorts on small islands, such as the Maldives, Seychelles and Mauritius, since conventional systems require separate units, with consequent loss in efficiency and increased cost. 

Today, May 3rd is going down in History as the date when the first Solar Flight will ever take place. The world media is labeling this Solar flight on the aircraft-Solar Impulse as the 'Charles Lindbergh moment' in Aviation History.This day is set to be marked when the team of the Solar powered airplane will initiate a pioneering trip across America from the bay of San Francisco to Lambert, St Louis International airport- All with only the help of a renewable energy source and not a drop of fuel. Bertrand Piccard uses the word “pioneer” as the attempt speaks of a courage and vision required for a cross-country mission of this magnitude.

This attempt to fly across the continent also has a secondary objective- that is to adopt clean technologies and renewable energies to increase efficiency and to foster a clean and green living environment. An earlier successful attempt was made by the Swiss Solar Impulse in 2010 when it embarked on the first-ever solar-powered night flight, and again in 2012 when it made the first intercontinental solar-powered flight (Europe to North Africa). Even as we speak and as the solar powered plane embarks on its transcontinental journey today, the company is developing a second larger aircraft with which it hopes to fly solar powered around the world in 2015. 

The showcasing of the Solar Impulse will demonstrate the possibilities of solar flight to the public.The design of the airplane is lighter than that of a car(3500 lbs) and its wingspan is 208 feet, about the same as a jumbo jet.The plane has solar cells on its wings that can collect and store energy making even night flight possible. The solar cells provide power to four 10hp electric motors recharging the aircraft’s lithium batteries during the day flight which allows the plane to continue flying at night.