An Irridium communications satellite collided with an inactive Russian bird in low orbit. Story here.
So much for the "big sky" theory.
Bob Gardner
It is a big sky, but it is a small orbital space!So much for the "big sky" theory.
Bob Gardner
An Irridium communications satellite collided with an inactive Russian bird in low orbit. Story here.
The story says they collided at 6 miles per second, which gives me 21,600 MPH. No wonder there was a "cloud of debris." They must have been on radically different tracks, since at the same altitude their orbital speeds would have been the same.
Dan
Yes space objects are tracked. All objects going into space are also tracked so as to ensure no collisions. The orbital elements are published every week. I subscribe to a bunch of them for being able to track communications satellites. The questions here are why did the prediction software not signal a conflict and who dropped the ball.They track the space objects... the real question is, "did they know in advance" that there was a possibility of collision (and if so, how far in advance). I really hope this wasn't a total surprise... would make me nervous about being on the ISS if it was a total surprise!!
The story says they collided at 6 miles per second, which gives me 21,600 MPH. No wonder there was a "cloud of debris." They must have been on radically different tracks, since at the same altitude their orbital speeds would have been the same.
Yes space objects are tracked. All objects going into space are also tracked so as to ensure no collisions. The orbital elements are published every week.
Is earth's orbit actually the 'mid' part of space?There's no air in space ... so should this be called a "mid-space collision" ... ?
About as much as an airport traffic pattern is the 'mid' part of the air ...Is earth's orbit actually the 'mid' part of space?