Re: `let the market rule in rocketry and spaceflight\'

From: Adrian Tymes (wingcat@pacbell.net)
Date: Tue Jul 16 2002 - 20:17:52 MDT


Amara Graps wrote:

> "TT" <transtigger@aol.com>:
>> I read somewhere that this could eventually increase the probability of
>> collision to such a point nothing could get through - and we'd have
>> imprisoned
>> ourselves on earth! I don't know how much credibility there is in
>> that, but
>> might it be wise to do an orbital clean up of junk from time to time?
>
> This is kinda what it looks like (see map of orbiting debris)
>
> http://www.wstf.nasa.gov/Hazard/Hyper/debris.htm
>
> Good luck with the clean up! :-(

It's not as bad as it looks yet. Remember that the scrap is actually
far, far smaller than each one of the pixels. If they were to leave
empty and pixel with less than 50% obstruction, they'd have an empty
map.

That said, the map certainly makes a good dramatization of what could
be.



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