Space Trash

Discussion in 'General Science & Technology' started by wet1, Aug 31, 2001.

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  1. wet1 Wanderer Registered Senior Member

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    In the Free Thoughts forum interest was expressed on space junk and its effect to our manmade satellites. And notation was made of a cascade effect and what it could mean to such. In the sight of keeping our forums a little better organized I suggested that we move the discussion to its proper place. Here.

    I also noticed that I have not taken the proper time to welcome Patman to our forums. Welcome to Sciforums Patman, May you find as much enjoyment here as has many another, myself included.
     
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  3. Patman just one of the lost Registered Senior Member

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    wet1
    I'm sorry that I'm still getting use to this. But for the most part You and a lot of the others ROCK! YOU GUY'S fill the void! I wish this was around when I was a kid. Thanks for the welcome.
    wet1
    Any idea what kind of tonnage up there?
    A Square ounce is pretty formidably with nothing to stop it but one of our own creations!?
     
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  5. HOWARDSTERN HOWARDSTERN has logged out.... Registered Senior Member

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    GOD HAVE MERCY.......

    http://liftoff.msfc.nasa.gov/RealTime/JTrack/3D/JTrack3D.html

    I don't know about the trash tonnage, but click on the above link. After you get to the page, there should be a popup that has a 3-d representation of current satellites. Zoom out and take a look man!! These are current satellites. Space trash? I don't know, you'll have to seek the wisdom of the wise old wet1!!!!!!

    ps..... I wish I had been around when I was a kid too. Maybe I would behave more like an adult today

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    Last edited: Aug 31, 2001
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  7. wet1 Wanderer Registered Senior Member

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    Looking for tonnage numbers is a lot like asking how many miles to Pluto. The numbers are so huge as to be meaningless. Lets just say that there is a lot.

    Howard, you are an adult. I think you do behave as one also. There may be those who disagree but then through history being the messagebearer never did had a long life expectancy.
     
  8. HOWARDSTERN HOWARDSTERN has logged out.... Registered Senior Member

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    Suffice to say./////////

    ..... that there is enough orbital debris to cause a chain reaction or cascade effect.

    If for example......................a larger than normal meteor shower were to befall the earth, then it stands to reason that many satellites would be turned into trashed out orbital debris (shrapnel.....err.....projectiles)

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    The bits & pieces from these would in turn collide with other satellites, and so on. DOMINO EFFECT!!!!!!!! BAD Do Do!!!!

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    Some really seriously bad s***t!!! The more flying projectiles, the greater the liklihood of more collisions, and so on!!!!!!

    This scenario is real and may well happen. In fact, I might actually place some money on it! Every month, new stuff goes up and it is forever before it comes down!!!!!

    So don't put all of your investment dollars on satellite communications! If such a castrophe did occur, then a wise investor might think twice about land based communication....


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  9. Patman just one of the lost Registered Senior Member

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    Howard my headaches gone
    But it took fifteen minutes to get unlocked, maybe NASA was down loading the senseless dribble!? But anyway thanks for the link. Now I'm sure that we have a problem. That's what they want us to see. No. no conspiracy. But us and many other countries have been launching. The U.S. since the sixties.?
     
  10. Patman just one of the lost Registered Senior Member

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    Howard
    Glad your on my side. You do have the most to lose???

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  11. HOWARDSTERN HOWARDSTERN has logged out.... Registered Senior Member

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    NAY.

    I could care less anymore. Hell if it happens, I'll go fishin in Canada for the next twenty years or so and send out a weekly obscene newsletter.

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    Besides, there's always money to be made in the midst of global tragedy.........
     
  12. wet1 Wanderer Registered Senior Member

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    Alright guys. It's like this. There a a lot of points representing satellites there. Notice the all the geo-snyc orbits are in a band, not a globe. That means in the outer orbits roughly 99% or more is open space. That means:
    1. That any incoming has a big chance of hitting nothing in the geo-sync orbits.
    2. For just those few come through the satellite band there, it is still a large chance it will hit nothing. You are seeing points of white representing satellites. Not drawn to scale representations. Meaning in "real life" that they are smaller than what is shown, and the area between increasing larger.
    3. Should one actually hit, there is a huge chance that it will have sufficient velocity after impact to take it's trash with it. (achieves escape velocity)
    4. On the off hand that it does not achieve escape velocity, it still has a large chance of going into the wide open areas with not a lot of endangerment to anything else.

    Inner LEO orbits:

    1. While more dense than that of geo-sync obrits there is still a lot of space there!
    2. Most, though not all incomings will be just that headed for the gravity well of earth.
    3. The same thing applies to the specs of light representing satellites. Not to scale, meaning that there is still a lot of chance to miss.
    4. Other than the ISS, the biggest thing that I know of is the HST, which is about the size of a semi trailer. Now it has been up there for a while now. When is the last time you heard that it got hit? Believe me you would hear it splashed across the news from here to Sunday. But not a peep about it. In otherwords, it don't happen often. At least not in 10 years (roughly), uh?
    5. Of those which actually sustain hits, Yes there will most likely be trash thrown off. Once again, not near the amount that we ourselves have already put into orbit.
     
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