Re: Pentagon to Shoot down Spy Sat

On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:55:24 +1100, in a place far, far away, Sylvia
Else <sylvia@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> made the phosphor on my monitor glow
in such a way as to indicate that:


If they're all heading in random directions, there is some small but
finite possibility that they could all head in the same direction.

:> Pretty unlikely, though...
:
:The probability levels are, to use an Irishism, incomparably different.
:

Not so much, no.

An impact in a higher orbit scatters stuff all over the shop. If there's
a mechanism that selectively avoids creating debris with increased
momentum roughly in the original direction, it's not at all clear to me
what that mechanism would be.

So I disagree that the probabilities are in a similar range.

They're not in a similar range, but they're still extremely low, and
much lower than you continue to seem (mistakenly) to believe.
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Pentagon to Shoot down Spy Sat
    ... Else made the phosphor on my monitor glow ... finite possibility that they could all head in the same direction. ... :The probability levels are, to use an Irishism, incomparably different. ... If there's a mechanism that selectively avoids creating debris with increased momentum roughly in the original direction, it's not at all clear to me what that mechanism would be. ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Pentagon to Shoot down Spy Sat
    ... Else made the phosphor on my monitor glow ... :The probability levels are, to use an Irishism, incomparably different. ... momentum roughly in the original direction, it's not at all clear to me ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Pentagon to Shoot down Spy Sat
    ... finite possibility that they could all head in the same direction. ... :The probability levels are, to use an Irishism, incomparably different. ... momentum roughly in the original direction, it's not at all clear to me ... The ones relating to debris reaching the ground? ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Pentagon to Shoot down Spy Sat
    ... Else made the phosphor on my monitor glow ... :The probability levels are, to use an Irishism, incomparably different. ... The ones relating to debris reaching the ground? ...
    (sci.space.policy)