Magnets help spacecraft stick together

"Superconducting magnets could help a fleet of spacecraft fly in precise formation without using up limited fuel reserves, two groups of researchers say. But others foresee problems with the technology.

Many proposals for groundbreaking space missions require multiple spacecraft to fly in formation, including NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder, which would hunt for Earth-like planets around other stars, and the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which would search for ripples in the fabric of space called gravitational waves.

One way to keep spacecraft in the right arrangement is to use thrusters, which fire jets of gas to push a craft in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, thrusters can limit the lifetime of a mission because they rely on limited supplies of fuel.

But two groups of researchers are developing a technology that replaces thrusters with electromagnets, which they say can keep spacecraft in formation without the need for fuel.

In this scenario, each spacecraft in the fleet would be outfitted with coils made of superconducting wire. Running electric currents through the coils turns each spacecraft into a magnet with a north and south pole.

By adjusting the current, the orientation of the poles can be changed to either attract multiple spacecraft towards each other or push them farther apart, keeping them at the desired distance."

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