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Satellites Collide In Orbit
DrEnter writes "According to this story on Yahoo, two communications satellites collided in orbit, resulting in two large clouds of debris. The new threat from these debris clouds hasn't been fully determined yet. From the article, 'The collision involved an Iridium commercial satellite, which was launched in 1997, and a Russian satellite launched in 1993 and believed to be nonfunctioning. Each satellite weighed well over 1,000 pounds.' This is the fifth spacecraft/satellite collision to occur in space, but the other four were all fairly minor by comparison."
I'm just waiting for one of those things to crash through some suburban American family's house.
Satellite smoke. Don't breathe this.
Shop as usual. And avoid panic buying.
IIRC from Driver's Ed, the vehicle to the right has the right of way.
Except in Oregon, where the first one to exhibit politeness in a manner consistent with their last four stops gets to wait on the other, regardless of left, right or weaponry. Chevy Suburbans are excluded, as usual, and get to go thru without stopping, signaling or giving a healthy shit.
Token MS reference: Investing in MS is risking having your own money used against you in the marketplace.
Nope. It's not a road.
The Russian Satellite should have been transmitting "starboard, you arsehole", or the robotic Russian equivalent.
"Space Chicken!"
IIRC from Driver's Ed, the vehicle to the right has the right of way.
The Russian satellite had lights and siren going, so the Iridium was supposed to pull over.
"Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." -- Eric Hoffer
Does anyone know what these particular satellites were each being tasked to do? (prior to one of them becoming a single-use kinetic energy space-based weapon system projectile)
Now, I do wear my tin-foil hat a lot, so I'll try to answer your question.
What are the chances that a satellite was launched in 1993 so that it would collide with a satellite launched in 1997, in 2009? As an attempt by Putin to test Obama?
I don't know the exact numbers, but I'd suggest that it might be more profitable to put your entire savings into Powerball tickets.
Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
They couldn't talk to each other because someone took out a communication satellite. Obviously.
Be relentless!
The question is, did anyone have any specific knowledge of the likelihood of this specific collision prior to the event?
Maybe they're like slashdot dupes. Everyone knows they're coming, they just can't be certain when.
These guys sell micrometers that can measure things as large as five feet across and ones that can only measure up to an inch across. It seems to me that something is the size of a micrometer is somewhat vague.
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
It's time for MegaMaid. Get NASA started on that Spaceball-1 project STAT.
Be Safe! Sleep with a Marine. Semper Fi!
Hey, you got iridium in my K-2251 (22675)!
No, you got K-2251 (22675) in my iridium!
Time for a new tasty treat....
if it collided with a $100,000 toolbag....
Not to troll or to dwell into politics here, But does anyone here know any numbers for the *actual* chances/probabilities that satellite A will collide with satellite B in orbit around the Earth?
Yes. The actual probability is 1.
The Russian satellite was launched in 1993. At that point it was no longer "Soviet", you insensitive clod!
Once upon a time in a mythical land called Soviet Russia, a hot bowl of grits had Natalie Portman.
A: "Change your couse"
B: "No. You change your course."
A: "We insist that you change your course."
B: "We must protest. Change your course."
A: "This is a warship. Change your course."
B: "This is a lighthouse. Your call."
I'm sure this exchange fits into this whole thing somewhere....
And in Arkansas it is little old ladies in giant land boat 4 doors like Lincolns or Cadillacs. One quickly learns to get out of their way or be dragged REALLY SLOWLY for several miles. They are also immune to all honking or screams of agony due to their lack of hearing. But one can spot and thus avoid the danger by looking for the warning signs, which consist of a car being driven by only a pair of knuckles and a tuft of white hair.
ACs don't waste your time replying, your posts are never seen by me.
Even my non rocket science brain can take the TLEs and figure out that they were passing way too close to each other (I put it at about 500 meters with the latest elements).
I'd put it at about 0.000 meters actually. You can tell from the size of the debris field...