NASA Tests ‘Gecko Gripper’ For Spaceflight Stickiness
To deal with the growing problem of dangerous space junk, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) has turned to nature for a sticky solution. The “Gecko Gripper” system is modeled after the sticky feet of the gecko. The little lizards have no problem climbing various surfaces because their feet are covered with tiny hairs that give them a stable grip. NASA recently tested its own version in microgravity and other simulated space conditions on materials used in spacecraft, successfully demonstrating that it can attach to them and move them. That’s important, because Earth orbit is getting increasingly crowded. More than 21,000 pieces of orbital debris larger than 3.9 inches are out there, and in 2009 one of these collided with and destroyed a communications satellite. “Orbital debris is a serious risk to spacecraft, including the International Space Station,” said Aaron Parness, a JPL robotics researcher who is the principal investigator for the grippers. “This is definitely a problem we’re going to have to deal with. Our system might one day contribute