GAUSS develops remote controlled telescope stations equipped with automatic telescope mounts, light domes for equipment storing, PCs for telescopes control and remote management. GAUSS has been involved in the international study on Space Debris in the framework of IADC (Inter Agency Debris Committee) programs.
GAUSS has developed a software for object identification for telescope-captured images. The software identifies traces in telescope images and it can distinguish between known and unknown objects.
Optical surveillance of space debris has as main scope the avoidance of collisions between spacecrafts and space debris. The detection and the orbit determination of space debris through ground-based optical telescopes and radars allow researchers to prevent objects’ collisions.
GAUSS Group started the space debris observation in 2002. Since then, first as GAUSS Group, then as GAUSS Srl, it has been involved in space debris measurements related projects, such as:
- the Observatory of Castelgrande (currently being enhanced)
- the Observatory of Collepardo (operative until 2015)
CastelGauss Observatory during night operations
Nocturnal view of the TT1 (INAF-Capodimonte) Dome – Castelgrande Observatory
Furthermore, in 2017 GAUSS has compiled an Educational Study on Space Debris and Near Earth Objects, which is available here:
EDUCATIONAL PATH ON SPACE DEBRIS (PDF format)