Reply to: Don't go out on Friday

[TimberWolf]

Yet space shuttles are still able to navigate up to the space station and back.

It's another logic glitch in the matrix as everything should be getting destroyed by bits of the first thing abandoned in space.

Kessler syndrome - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[PAH]

Very true; mere flakes of paint are dangerous at Mach 17 or so.

Yet space shuttles are still able to navigate up to the space station and back.

It's another logic glitch in the matrix as everything should be getting destroyed by bits of the first thing abandoned in space.

[d000hg]

AtW already did this one, or very similar, recently where I pointed out that you're comparing two different things. The chance of anyone being hit may be 1 in 3200, but the chance of you being hit are much less, just as the chance of anyone winning the lottery is much more than 1 in 14 million; more like 1 in 1.

Don't crush poor prawn's attempts at maths. It does throw a lot of light on how trustworthy his calculations about stocks/gold are though.

[TimberWolf]

Satellites are regularly falling to earth but because of their size only a few pieces make it through re-entry. If this bus-size one was broken into smaller bits before re-entry there would be lass chance of sizable pieces making it through, shirley? Additional charges should be deployed on the bigger structures to ensure they were reduced to a 'burnable' size.

Yes, but explosives have exhaust speeds in excess of 1000 m/s (TNT = 7 km/s), which could put junk into stable orbit, and it doesn't have to be large junk to be a problem.

[PAH]

They should have coated it in something highly flammable to encourage burn up, like a giant fat ball.

Alternatively they could have put a big electromagnet in it, and turned it on to collect some space debris on the way down.

[wobbegong]

Blowing stuff up may not be a great option as that could create a lot of space debris, which is bad. But I wonder whether a simple change of the dimensions of objects would do it, where this is possible, e.g. the batteries. More surface area/volume or better aerodynamics (less brick-like) the more chance it has of burning up, I imagine.

Satellites are regularly falling to earth but because of their size only a few pieces make it through re-entry. If this bus-size one was broken into smaller bits before re-entry there would be lass chance of sizable pieces making it through, shirley? Additional charges should be deployed on the bigger structures to ensure they were reduced to a 'burnable' size.

[PAH]

Why didn't they get the space shuttle to bring it home on it's last trip? Too big for the cargo bay?

Maybe it's one of those distraction events orchestrated to pull the rug from under your feet while you're busy looking up at the sky. Let's see what bad news gets buried in the next 24 hours....

[TimberWolf]

Blowing stuff up may not be a great option as that could create a lot of space debris, which is bad. But I wonder whether a simple change of the dimensions of objects would do it, where this is possible, e.g. the batteries. More surface area/volume or better aerodynamics (less brick-like) the more chance it has of burning up, I imagine.

[AtW]

Couldn't they borrow AtW's 40 watt plasma gun and zap it?

I can't get two references to get one

[Mich the Tester]

Couldn't they borrow AtW's 40 watt plasma gun and zap it?

[AtW]

If only they had missiles that could destroy it, or at least break it up in the upper atmosphere, ensuring total burn up before it hits the ground.

It's much cheaper to settle insurance claim.

HTH

[PAH]

If only they had missiles that could destroy it, or at least break it up in the upper atmosphere, ensuring total burn up before it hits the ground.

[wobbegong]

Maybe in future they'll consider a remotely activated self destruct option?

[PAH]

Terminal velocity () for sky divers might well be a lot less than for a piece of space debris. At least for skydivers whose mass/area is less than the debris, for example.

Ooops. I forgot that different shapes will fall differently, unless on the moon where there isn't air resistance.

Feather & Hammer Drop on Moon - YouTube

[TimberWolf]

Seeing as there's a thing called terminal velocity, that afaik also applies to falling space debris, why don't they use skydivers to attach a parachute to it?

Terminal velocity () for sky divers might well be a lot less than for a piece of space debris. At least for skydivers whose mass/area is less than the debris, for example.