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That is not correct. To actually end up in an orbit with both higher apoapsis and periapsis another collision would need to happen higher upp, which then would
by Gwypaas 6y ago
That is not correct. To actually end up in an orbit with both higher apoapsis and periapsis another collision would need to happen higher upp, which then would raise the periapsis. Otherwise it would simply be an elliptic orbit still passing through the altitude which the collision happened at.
An elliptic orbit may slow the decay though, but contrast this with the larger surface to weight ratio of smaller pieces and it should not really matter.
- nabla9 6y agoHow come? If the satellites collide close to 90 degree angle the horizontal velocity of some fragments can be more than 10 km/s and the orbit increases.
- Gwypaas 6y agoSee the regular Hohmann transfer [0]. Adding Δv at one point causes the orbit to become elliptic and will still pass through the same altitude, the yellow line in the picture. To increase the lower altitude, also called the periapsis, you need to add Δv higher up, which is the opposing side of the orbit for 100% efficiency and through that you create the circular red line. [0]: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Hohmann_transfer_orbit.svg/440px-Hohmann_transfer_orbit.svg.png https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Ho...
- nabla9 6y agoAh. The lowest point of the orbit is the previous orbit. The fragments can still have more energy and decay slower than the original satellite. Especially when they don't have drag generating solar panels anymore.
- modeless 6y agoThe perigee of an orbit originating from a collision cannot be higher than the collision point and is very likely to be lower. Apogee could be higher, but it won't be for most of the debris. And even if it is, the low perigee will still cause the orbit to decay. And as Gwypaas points out, the pieces will in general decay faster than the whole satellite would due to higher surface area to mass ratio.
- LeifCarrotson 6y agoOrbits in LEO are nearly circular. By giving a fragment a single instantaneous change in velocity, you change that orbit to an ellipse, which could have a higher apogee, but will always return to the initial altitude. To turn that ellipse into a circle with a larger radius than the LEO orbit, you need an additional maneuver when it is at that larger radius.
- Anunayj 6y agothis man plays KSP.