rmstein@ieee.org
Date: Fri, 5 Oct 2018 07:20:33 +0800
Elevated upper-atmospheric CO2 levels preserve longevity of orbiting space junk, elevating collision potential between orbiting satellites.
"In all, according to the ESA, there have been about 5,400 rocket launches
since the space age began in 1957. They have placed about 8,650 satellites
in orbit. Of these, about 4,700 are still in space, but only around 1,800
are still functioning. Space surveillance networks operated by the United
States, Europe and other nations now estimate there are some 29,000 pieces
of debris that are 10 centimeters in diameter or larger in orbit. Not all of
them are being tracked."
Satellite operators often burn propellant to avoid collisions.
Low-earth-orbit satellite operational life time constraint compelled by
"dodgeball."