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From: karn@petrus.UUCP (Phil R. Karn)
Newsgroups: net.astro
Subject: Re: Space Debris
Message-ID: <476@petrus.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Aug-85 13:39:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: petrus.476
Posted: Thu Aug 22 13:39:36 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Sep-85 06:06:38 EDT
References: <547@hoxna.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Inc
Lines: 21

The project of which you speak was called "Project West Ford". As you say
it involved the dispersal of thousands of tiny wire dipoles in a circular
polar orbit. There was one launch but the dispenser mechanism didn't work
right and many of the dipoles came out in large chunks.

In any event the wire size and orbit was chosen such that solar radiation
pressure and atmospheric drag would cause the wires to decay within a year
or so, and I believe this was the case.

I am much more concerned about the orbital debris already created by the
Soviet anti-satellite tests. I have not yet heard any details on the orbits
planned for the American ASAT tests, but it would be entirely in character
if Reagan doesn't give a damn about polluting long-lived orbits with debris
either.  Sooner or later, with so much crap up there, there will be a
collision with a military reconnaissance satellite and depending on the
world situation there could very well be suspicion that the failure was due
to deliberate activity by the other side. Such is the "security" that space
weapons will buy us.

Phil