Xref: utzoo sci.space:8235 sci.space.shuttle:1953
Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!nrl-cmf!ames!lll-tis!oodis01!uplherc!esunix!bpendlet
From: bpendlet@esunix.UUCP (Bob Pendleton)
Newsgroups: sci.space,sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Stopping Space and Light Pollution.
Message-ID: <1084@esunix.UUCP>
Date: 14 Nov 88 22:32:57 GMT
References: <1988Nov11.213348.27877@utzoo.uucp>
Organization: Evans & Sutherland, Salt Lake City, Utah
Lines: 24

From article <1988Nov11.213348.27877@utzoo.uucp>, by henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer):
> In article <1068@esunix.UUCP> bpendlet@esunix.UUCP (Bob Pendleton) writes:
>>Could large clouds of ice crystals be used to "sweep"
>>orbits of small debris particles? 
> 
> Unfortunately, you need to sweep a spherical shell, not just a single orbit,
> since anything at the same altitude will intersect your orbit. 

Depending on how long the cloud persists it would eventually sweep out
a sherical shell. Especially if the cloud is in a polar orbit. The
question is how long will the cloud persist? My guess is that it won't
last long enough.

> Breaking the existing
> debris up into smaller bits is the *last* thing we want to do.

Not really. Even a fairly heavy rain of microscopic particles can be
stopped more easily than one large chunk.

			Bob P.
-- 
              Bob Pendleton, speaking only for myself.
UUCP Address:  decwrl!esunix!bpendlet or utah-cs!esunix!bpendlet

		Reality is what you make of it.