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Space is really really big. It would take a LOT of junk and a lot of money and time to ruin all orbits. Even LEO is at least as big as the surface of the eart
by Klathmon 10y ago
Space is really really big.
It would take a LOT of junk and a lot of money and time to ruin all orbits.
Even LEO is at least as big as the surface of the earth, and getting debris to stay in that orbit for more than a few months takes thrusters to keep it from decaying.
- idlewords 10y agoYou could do this pretty easily. All orbits at the same altitude eventually intersect, and high LEO orbits take decades or more to decay. Moreover, at orbital velocities, even tiny fragments can destroy a satellite. So if you fill an altitude range with enough orbiting shrapnel, you can ruin the party for everyone. The movie 'Gravity' has some breathtaking visuals of how such a runaway event would look.