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They don't plan like that at all. Since all these orbital parameters change over time due to atmospheric drag, solar pressure, gravity irregularities, etc, org
by inamberclad 7y ago
They don't plan like that at all.
Since all these orbital parameters change over time due to atmospheric drag, solar pressure, gravity irregularities, etc, organizations like NORAD constantly monitor and determine the orbital parameters of every object they can find circling the Earth.
So, they watch for when the likelihood that one satellite will come within some small distance (say, 5km) of another is high. For example, if the odds that they come that close are say, 75% in the next 5 orbits, the operators are notified and alter their courses slightly to maintain separation.
Even manned spacecraft such as the ISS will perform separation maneuvers to keep themselves clear of objects that may come too close.
- perl4ever 7y agoI think the issue is that people have some vague affinity for the way space travel was depicted in old science fiction, where you could blast off and manually control everything with possibly the assistance of a slide rule. And it's slightly discomfiting to realize that just traffic control is so complex that it needs modern computers to track and react. Space is supposed to be vast and empty! And it is, but not in LEO.