this is the point where we need to develop shields
You probably mean deflectors ;-)
Kessler Syndrome
11–20 of 65 posts
Re: Kessler Syndrome
#12Kessler syndrome is why it was so irresponsible of the Chinese to blow up a satellite just to prove that they could.
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Chinese_anti-satellite_mi...
Re: Kessler Syndrome
#13Re: Kessler Syndrome
#14Re: Kessler Syndrome
#15this is the point where we need to develop shields
Or just clean our shit up?
Re: Kessler Syndrome
#16Re: Kessler Syndrome
#17There's no incentive to me to make my satellite safely de-orbit before it gets broken into pieces. So why would I bother? That's expensive.
But like all 'easy to litter, hard to clean up' problems of this nature, we have a solution already: require a cleanup deposit ahead of time that will be returned to whoever cleans it up.
All space-launching countries should sign an accord that said something along the lines of "Every satellite must have a deposit to the international Kessler Fund", say something like $X/kg, inflation adjusted. Companies would spring up with the sole purpose of de-orbiting defunct satellites. Launch would become more expensive, yes, but soon every bit of metal in space would come equipped with a plan for how we're getting it out of orbit.
Re: Kessler Syndrome
#18Re: Kessler Syndrome
#19I read about this first when I saw the movie "Gravity". I think if it really becomes that bad, given enough resources mankind can solve it.
Re: Kessler Syndrome
#20There's no incentive to me to make my satellite safely de-orbit before it gets broken into pieces. So why would I bother? That's expensive. But like all 'easy to litter, hard to clean up' problems of this nature, we have a solution already: require a cleanup deposit ahead of time that will be returned to whoever cleans it up. All space-launching countries should sign an accord that said something along the lines of "…
This would work, but only if it allowed satellites to be exempted if they had a credible plan for deoribiting (which the vast majority of satellites launched today do, BTW). In that case, no one would actually pay the deposit, since it would cost several orders of magnitude more to go "get" a satellite (as opposed to just ensuring enough delta-V left over at the end of the mission to deorbit)