A mass catcher is a theoretical device envisioned to decelerate a

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different eleme ...

of material, usually in the context of

outer space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...

transport. A large object placed in space with a conical shape would stop other objects hurtling towards the center of the back of it. These other objects would not bounce back into space because small debris from previous impacts with the mass catcher would form a coating similar to

regolith Regolith () is a blanket of unconsolidated, loose, heterogeneous superficial deposits covering solid rock. It includes dust, broken rocks, and other related materials and is present on Earth, the Moon, Mars, some asteroids, and other terrestr ...

, which would absorb the impact and decelerate the object to the velocity of the mass catcher. Interstellar transport of bulk materials would be a potential source of demand for the construction of a mass catcher (e.g. lunar or asteroidal mined ore originally accelerated into a trajectory intercepting the mass catcher by a

mass driver A mass driver or electromagnetic catapult is a proposed method of non-rocket spacelaunch which would use a linear motor to accelerate and catapult payloads up to high speeds. Existing and contemplated mass drivers use coils of wire energized by e ...

). This device was proposed in 1978 by Thomas A. Heppenheimer.

References

Spaceflight technology {{Space-stub

See also

References