Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!Laws@SRI-AI.ARPA From: Laws@SRI-AI.ARPA Newsgroups: net.space Subject: Space Debris Message-ID: <13307@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Thu, 3-Nov-83 13:47:05 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.13307 Posted: Thu Nov 3 13:47:05 1983 Date-Received: Mon, 7-Nov-83 08:01:49 EST Lines: 13 From: Ken Laws I understand that orbiting debris would be a problem for the space elevator (and for anything else in orbit). I also understand that collisions could spew fragments that would themselves be hazardous. I don't understand, though, why such collisions would be frequent. I would expect the elevator to develop an orbital "shadow" swept free of debris, and that collisions would only occur with objects newly injected into this space. Are the orbital mechanics such that the elevator would continually intercept new debris trajectories? -- Ken Laws -------