[amsat-bb] Re: Satellites in collision

[Rich Dailey (gmail)]

At 01:20 AM 2/13/2009, you wrote:
>Simon says
>U.S. STRATCOM routinely tracks about 18,000 objects in space, including satellites and debris, that are 3.9 inches across or larger.
>Tracking priority and "conjunction analysis" - identifying which objects may pose a threat to manned spacecraft - is the first priority.

Key word - "manned".  I would certainly hope that if one of the objects were the space shuttle, or ISS,  this would
have been averted. But - If a central tracking authority saw this ahead of time, what could anyone have done about it?  I read the cosmos was out of
control.  *If* the controllers of the Iridium satellite could alter it's orbit slightly,  how would that have affected their bottom line as far
as the operation of the entire constellation?  Was it cheaper to just let them crash,  and then apologize to the space community
afterward?

I think this is the new ecology that will need to be addressed, hopefully before it becomes deadly.

73,
Rich, N8UX