[AR] Re: Freeman Dyson, RIP
- From: Henry Spencer <hspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: Arocket List <arocket@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 4 Mar 2020 19:04:52 -0500 (EST)
On Wed, 4 Mar 2020, Uwe Klein wrote:
For example, any scheme with so many objects in similar orbits probably
wants a fast-response capability to *clean up* the debris from an
accidental collision, so it *doesn't* cause a runaway chain reaction.
(NB, in solar orbit, "fast" typically means months, not minutes...
Can we apply this to upcoming SpaceX StarLink constellations ?
Not easily, alas. For one thing, we're starting with a bit less technical
capability and rather smaller resources than the hypothetical Dyson-sphere
builders. :-) For another, the time scale involved is over 5000x faster,
because the orbital period is 90-odd minutes rather than a year -- if
they'd have to get tugs and related equipment into position within, say, a
month, we'd have less than ten minutes.
Not inherently impossible, I'd say -- with the caveat that working out
really fast first-responder propulsion methods is complicated by having to
use them in a crowded and pollution-sensitive neighborhood -- but too big
a challenge right now. For the immediate future, we have to prevent the
problem rather than solving it. (Fortunately, the Starlink orbits are
going to be a lot less crowded than Dyson-sphere orbits would be.)
Henry
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