Finally. new programming on the science channel. Last night was a program about space junk and how we are on the brink of creating a vast no fly zone in orbit around the earth. It wasn't considered too bad until the Chinese intercepted and destroyed one of their own satellites in a demonstration of their capabilities in space. The count of uncontrolled objects went up by 40% after that stupid demonstration. Some experts are claiming that the tipping point is only a decade or two away if nothing is done and at that point most, if not all, of the worlds active satellites may be knocked out.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

At least something is in the works.

http://www.technewsworld.com/story/82248.html

Steve

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Warning, addicted to SETI crunching!
Crunching as a member of GPU Users Group.
GPUUG Website

I kind of thought orbital decay would take care of the junk eventually, or does that take too long?

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Ones that make a mess (garbage), should clean up after!
;)

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU

I kind of thought orbital decay would take care of the junk eventually, or does that take too long?

It's the tiny stuff too small to track that they are currently concerned about and most of that stuff could stay in orbit for a very long time.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

I kind of thought orbital decay would take care of the junk eventually, or does that take too long?

It's the tiny stuff too small to track that they are currently concerned about and most of that stuff could stay in orbit for a very long time.

Ah, I see. Well, I've heard a bit about cubesats getting popular, and those things are going to contribute to the problem, I imagine.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

I kind of thought orbital decay would take care of the junk eventually, or does that take too long?

It's the tiny stuff too small to track that they are currently concerned about and most of that stuff could stay in orbit for a very long time.

Ah, I see. Well, I've heard a bit about cubesats getting popular, and those things are going to contribute to the problem, I imagine.

Not exactly...'cause those r "tracked sats"!

Only if they wonder off track & out of service...do they become a space junk! ;)

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU

From watching the program on the Science Channel it appears to me that the most dangerous stuff is that which is in polar orbits. Those objects cross the path of everything in west to east orbits.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Yes, but they are much higher as a rule.
Tullio

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According to Wiki the typical polar orbit is 1,000km or 621 miles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_orbit

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

This is higher than ISS in Low Earth Orbit. But geostationary satellites are at 36000 km at fixed point in space relative to the Earth, which is rotating.
Tullio
I've just read on theregister.co.uk about an alarm on the ISS which caused the 3 men crew to enter a Soyuz spacecraft to avoid a possible hit with debris of a Russian weather satellite launched in 1979. ISS seems to have survived with no damage. I think it was yesterday.

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This is higher than ISS in Low Earth Orbit. But geostationary satellites are at 36000 km at fixed point in space relative to the Earth, which is rotating.
Tullio
I've just read on theregister.co.uk about an alarm on the ISS which caused the 3 men crew to enter a Soyuz spacecraft to avoid a possible hit with debris of a Russian weather satellite launched in 1979. ISS seems to have survived with no damage. I think it was yesterday.

They should really put a laser canon on ISS... ;)

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU

Probably ISS needs a Progress cargo craft with sufficient fuel attached to it to fire its engines in order to modify the ISS orbit. I remember they did this maneuver before starting the reentry of Samantha and her companions by a Soyuz craft.
Tullio

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Probably ISS needs a Progress cargo craft with sufficient fuel attached to it to fire its engines in order to modify the ISS orbit. I remember they did this maneuver before starting the reentry of Samantha and her companions by a Soyuz craft.
Tullio

soon will ISS get a EM drive: http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/04/evaluating-nasas-futuristic-em-drive/
;)

Finally. new programming on the science channel. Last night was a program about space junk and how we are on the brink of creating a vast no fly zone in orbit around the earth. It wasn't considered too bad until the Chinese intercepted and destroyed one of their own satellites in a demonstration of their capabilities in space. The count of uncontrolled objects went up by 40% after that stupid demonstration. Some experts are claiming that the tipping point is only a decade or two away if nothing is done and at that point most, if not all, of the worlds active satellites may be knocked out.

if u ask me, a funny idea came to me:
put a satellite with a paint ball gun in orbit...which has a balls filled with glue...& shoots @ debris from higher altitude, to shoot on downward on debris!
upon emptying a cartage of "glue balls" - burn it in atmosphere...& send another one!
should work... ;)

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU

According to the program about space junk the ISS has it's own maneuvering thrusters but it takes more than a day to do the programming for a coordinated burn. Some objects, due to other collisions change their track and the warning system doesn't always have time to predict a possible collision.

Small pieces about the size of a bb can't be tracked but still pack the energy of a speeding 50 cal machine gun round. One scientist predicted it's only a matter of time until a spacewalking astro/cosmo naut gets hit by one of those objects and he or she may not survive long enough to get to one of the airlocks.

All it is going to take is one more collision of two normal sized satellites after which it may be impossible to prevent a chain reaction that will disable a significant number of important satellites. Don't cut you land line yet.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

An ARIANE 5 rocket has put in a transition orbit a meteorological ESA satellite which in ten days will be put in a geostationary orbit at 36000 km and become Meteosat 11, well above the ISS.
Tullio

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According to the program about space junk the ISS has it's own maneuvering thrusters but it takes more than a day to do the programming for a coordinated burn. Some objects, due to other collisions change their track and the warning system doesn't always have time to predict a possible collision.

Small pieces about the size of a bb can't be tracked but still pack the energy of a speeding 50 cal machine gun round. One scientist predicted it's only a matter of time until a spacewalking astro/cosmo naut gets hit by one of those objects and he or she may not survive long enough to get to one of the airlocks.

All it is going to take is one more collision of two normal sized satellites after which it may be impossible to prevent a chain reaction that will disable a significant number of important satellites. Don't cut you land line yet.

u can't survive that...or it's pretty improbable!

why?
vacuum would such out your blood like a spider of a bug...u would die sooner than a cut on arteria femoralis!
;)

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU

According to the program about space junk the ISS has it's own maneuvering thrusters but it takes more than a day to do the programming for a coordinated burn. Some objects, due to other collisions change their track and the warning system doesn't always have time to predict a possible collision.

Small pieces about the size of a bb can't be tracked but still pack the energy of a speeding 50 cal machine gun round. One scientist predicted it's only a matter of time until a spacewalking astro/cosmo naut gets hit by one of those objects and he or she may not survive long enough to get to one of the airlocks.

All it is going to take is one more collision of two normal sized satellites after which it may be impossible to prevent a chain reaction that will disable a significant number of important satellites. Don't cut you land line yet.

u can't survive that...or it's pretty improbable!
Depends on the size of the object striking the astronauts space suit and where. It was reported that the suits are designed with enough air to keep the pressure up for approximately 15 minutes if it is a small enough hole.
why?
vacuum would such out your blood like a spider of a bug...u would die sooner than a cut on arteria femoralis!
;)

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.