Yes, I'm aware that orbital mechanics is not that simple, that's why I specifically didn't talk about "upward" as a higher orbit isn't necessarily caused by a p

Yes, I'm aware that orbital mechanics is not that simple, that's why I specifically didn't talk about "upward" as a higher orbit isn't necessarily caused by a push in that direction. Sibling comment ( https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26809297 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26809297 ) is better at outlining that I was wrong: apparently a single impact cannot produce an entirely higher orbit, for debris sent in _any_ initial direction. At best, it produces elliptical orbits with a higher apogee, and the same drag at perigee.