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Is it possible there are dead satellites from past civilizations in a graveyard orbit we haven't noticed yet?
by newsbinator 6y ago
Is it possible there are dead satellites from past civilizations in a graveyard orbit we haven't noticed yet?
- jl6 6y agoSeems plausible that a sufficiently small and dim object could remain unobserved by humans, but if we’re considering objects from millions or even billions of years ago, I’m not sure the orbit would have remained stable.
- qayxc 6y agoThere's no way for a satellite to orbit the Earth over geologic time scales. Even geosynchronous and geostationary orbits degrade over time (though time scales extend to ten thousand years and longer). Micrometeorites would shred any satellite to pieces and decay from thermal stress and radiation would basically turn satellites to dust over time (again - think millions of years).