ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Physics

Beam me up Scotty – NASA researches tractor beam technology

Tibi PuiubyTibi Puiu
November 2, 2011
in Physics, Research, Studies
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterSubmit to Reddit

RelatedPosts

Mars has huge amounts of water hidden beneath its surface — and perhaps life too
Touchdown: NASA’s InSight probe safely lands on Mars
Water could be a natural byproduct of rocky planets forming — so it could be almost everywhere
TD54 Asteroid Collision Causes Atom Bomb-like Effects
NASA is studying different techniques for corralling particles and transporting them via laser light to instruments on rovers and orbiting spacecraft. (c) Dr. Paul Stysley
NASA is studying different techniques for corralling particles and transporting them via laser light to instruments on rovers and orbiting spacecraft. (c) Dr. Paul Stysley

Trekkies might rejoice at the news that NASA has recently decided to fund a research group employed to study how tractor beam technology might become applicable in space exploration missions. The agency has awarded a $100,000 initial grant to a team of reserachers who will study  three experimental techniques involving capturing small-particle samples with lasers.

“Though a mainstay in science fiction, and Star Trek in particular, laser-based trapping isn’t fanciful or beyond current technological know-how,” says Paul Stysley, part of the team researching tractor beam possibilities.

“The original thought was that we could use tractor beams for cleaning up orbital debris. But to pull something that huge would be almost impossible – at least now. That’s when it bubbled up that perhaps we could use the same approach for sample collection.”

ser experts (from left to right) Barry Coyle, Paul Stysley, and Demetrios Poulios have won NASA funding to study advanced technologies for collecting extraterrestrial particle samples. (c) NASA
ser experts (from left to right) Barry Coyle, Paul Stysley, and Demetrios Poulios have won NASA funding to study advanced technologies for collecting extraterrestrial particle samples. (c) NASA

One of the three studied techniques involved using what’s called ‘optical tweezers’. This method uses two counter-propagating beams of light, which outputs a ring-like geometry capable of pulling particles inside the dark core of the overlapping beams. Changing the intensity of one beam heats air around trapped particles and can cause them to travel toward a probe, however for this to work the technique requires an atmosphere. Not a problem if applied to Mars missions, though.

Rovers employed so far on the surface of Mars using a drill to probe samples or soil, however this requires a lot of time and the drill is constantly subjected to wear, and thus malfunctioning. A laser could prove to be a more interesting alternative – pointed towards various minerals, it would zap them and use its tractor beam to bring in the particles to the probe for analysis. Laser beams shot through the atmosphere could also provide valuable information on how gases change in response to day-night cycles on Mars.

For deep space missions, where the medium is vacuum, the researchers are considering a technique that employs optical solenoid beams, whose intensity peaks spiral around the axis of propagation, creating a force that pulls particles back along the entire beam of light. The main advantage with this method is that solenoid beams are capable of pulling in material from far away, which would be useful for satellites orbiting high above a comet or asteroid.

The third technique involves a Bessel beam and, so far, only exists in theoretical status, as of yet to be demonstrated in the lab. Bessel beams generate rings of light unto a contact surface, unlike a regular laser which casts a simple dot. These rings are thought to induce electric and magnetic fields in the path of an object, enough to trap and transport particle samples.

“We want to make sure we thoroughly understand these methods. We have hope that one of these will work for our purposes,” says team member Barry Coyle.

“We’re at the starting gate on this. This is a new application that no one has claimed yet.”

NASA

Tags: Bessel BeamMarsnasaopticsspace exploration

ShareTweetShare
Tibi Puiu

Tibi Puiu

Tibi is a science journalist and co-founder of ZME Science. He writes mainly about emerging tech, physics, climate, and space. In his spare time, Tibi likes to make weird music on his computer and groom felines. He has a B.Sc in mechanical engineering and an M.Sc in renewable energy systems.

Related Posts

Agriculture

A Rocket Carried Cannabis Seeds and 166 Human Remains into Space But Their Capsule Never Made It Back

byTudor Tarita
6 days ago
Astronomy

A NASA Spacecraft Just Spotted a Volcano on Mars Like We Have Never Seen Before

byTudor Tarita
2 weeks ago
Astronomy

Astronomers Found a Volcano Hiding in Plain Sight on Mars

byTudor Tarita
3 weeks ago
Geology

Scientists Used Lasers To Finally Explain How Tiny Dunes Form — And This Might Hold Clues to Other Worlds

byKimberly M. S. Cartier
4 weeks ago

Recent news

Tennis May Add Nearly 10 Years to Your Life and Most People Are Ignoring It

July 4, 2025

Humans Have Been Reshaping Earth with Fire for at Least 50,000 Years

July 4, 2025

The Strangest Microbe Ever Found Straddles The Line Between Life and Non-Life

July 4, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • How we review products
  • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Science News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Space
  • Future
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Physics
      • Matter and Energy
      • Quantum Mechanics
      • Thermodynamics
    • Chemistry
      • Periodic Table
      • Applied Chemistry
      • Materials
      • Physical Chemistry
    • Biology
      • Anatomy
      • Biochemistry
      • Ecology
      • Genetics
      • Microbiology
      • Plants and Fungi
    • Geology and Paleontology
      • Planet Earth
      • Earth Dynamics
      • Rocks and Minerals
      • Volcanoes
      • Dinosaurs
      • Fossils
    • Animals
      • Mammals
      • Birds
      • Fish
      • Amphibians
      • Reptiles
      • Invertebrates
      • Pets
      • Conservation
      • Animal facts
    • Climate and Weather
      • Climate change
      • Weather and atmosphere
    • Health
      • Drugs
      • Diseases and Conditions
      • Human Body
      • Mind and Brain
      • Food and Nutrition
      • Wellness
    • History and Humanities
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • History
      • Economics
      • People
      • Sociology
    • Space & Astronomy
      • The Solar System
      • Sun
      • The Moon
      • Planets
      • Asteroids, meteors & comets
      • Astronomy
      • Astrophysics
      • Cosmology
      • Exoplanets & Alien Life
      • Spaceflight and Exploration
    • Technology
      • Computer Science & IT
      • Engineering
      • Inventions
      • Sustainability
      • Renewable Energy
      • Green Living
    • Culture
    • Resources
  • Videos
  • Reviews
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Editorial policy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2025 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.