A debris shielding apparatus 200 for a spacecraft comprises a shield unit including a shielding surface for impeding incident debris. The apparatus includes means 204 for attaching the shield unit to a spacecraft structure 208 and also a driving apparatus for positioning the shield unit in relation to the spacecraft body. The driving apparatus is arranged to move the shield between a first stowed position and a second deployed position in which the shield lies in a plane that is at an angle to the spacecraft body. The shield may be unfurled to increase its effective surface area. Also disclosed is a de-orbiting apparatus comprising a plurality of panels movable from a stowed to a deployed position for creating atmospheric drag. In addition a debris sweeping apparatus is also disclosed and which comprises a plurality of panels for impeding the passage of space debris and wherein the panels are connected together and can be moved from a stowed to a deployed position.
展开▼
