On-orbit Satellite Collision |
On-orbit Satellite Collision |
Feb 11 2009, 09:35 PM
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 |
Two satellites collide in orbit
BY WILLIAM HARWOOD Posted: February 11, 2009 In an unprecedented space collision, a commercial Iridium communications satellite and a presumably defunct Russian Cosmos satellite ran into each other Tuesday above northern Siberia, creating a cloud of wreckage, officials said today. Iridium satellite An artist's concept of an Iridium satellite orbiting the Earth. Photo: Iridium The international space station does not appear to be threatened by the debris, they said, but it's not yet clear whether it poses a risk to any other military or civilian satellites. "They collided at an altitude of 790 kilometers (491 miles) over northern Siberia Tuesday about noon Washington time," said Nicholas Johnson, NASA's chief scientist for orbital debris at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The U.S. space surveillance network detected a large number of debris from both objects." MORE..... http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/11iridium/ -------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
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Feb 13 2009, 04:59 AM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 753 Joined: 23-October 04 From: Greensboro, NC USA Member No.: 103 |
They have moved the ISS orbit - what, 8 times? - because of a satellite coming within a few miles of the predicted location. That's a pretty large area of uncertainty. I'm trying to imagine a scenario where they require every active satellite that might pass within a few miles of another piece of debris change its orbit. How many satellites would be changing their orbits every year, and how badly would that complicate the job of those who are trying to keep track of them all? Is it worth the hassle to do all that moving for an incredibly low probability that any one of those "near misses" might be a collision? Yes, for a manned vehicle. It depends, for an unmanned one - depends on criticality of function, etc etc.
-------------------- Jonathan Ward
Manning the LCC at http://www.apollolaunchcontrol.com |
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