Capturing Small Space Debris: Inspired by the Frog Tongue’s Strategy for Catching Its Prey

The development of space technologies and the opportunities offered by the space economy are leading to a rapid increase in space traffic. Thousands of satellites are expected to be launched into space in the coming years. Metal, plastic, glass and paint scraps are small space debris objects. There are many studies in the literature on the capture of large space debris. This paper discusses a nature-inspired solution to clean up the increasing amount of micro-sized space debris in space. In particular, the prey capture strategy of the frog tongue is examined and how this strategy can be used to capture micro space debris. The sticky tongue mechanism used by frogs to capture their prey is translated into an effective model for capturing space debris. This mechanism utilizes a sticky and reversible adhesive layer that can rapidly capture micro-sized pieces of debris. Furthermore, the fast mobility of the linguistic mechanism provides maneuverability, which is critical for the capture of space debris. The study suggests that this nature-inspired solution is a promising method for effective collection and cleanup of micro-debris in space. This approach could offer an innovative and effective strategy for managing space debris in the future and improve the safety of activities in space.