Fishing debris in space

[Chip Fetrow]

No, and no.

Those that have the proper control (and the fuel) are boosted into a  
higher orbit.  They will stay there, even if they collide with other  
spacecraft.

Those who "loose there cookies" may do all sorts of stupid stuff, like  
leave their box and go through other boxes, like one satellite is  
doing right now.

ALL geosynchronous satellites are supposed to have the control and  
fuel to be either de-orbited (VERY RARE) or pushed into a high orbit  
where they are shut off and continue to orbit the earth.

There is an exhibit at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, kind of on  
Dulles International Airport.  When I first saw it I was just blown  
away.  The space junk is amazing.

--chip

On Feb 7, 2011, at 5:15 PM, <lstoskopf at cox.net> <lstoskopf at cox.net>  
wrote:

> I thought most of the geosynchronous stuff ran out of fuel and ended  
> up over the Himalayan mountains.
>
> N0UU
>
> ---- Chip Fetrow <tacos at fetrow.org> wrote:
>> Most debris is NOT de-orbited.  LEO stiff de-orbits itself.  MOST
>> geosynchronous stuff is actually sent UP.  Old satellites that were
>> once in geosynchronous or even higher orbits is sent into higher
>> orbits, allowed to crush itself into other other orbiting stuff, and
>> causing even more orbiting stuff.  It is the wild west up there.
>>
>> --chip
>>
>> On Feb 6, 2011, at 9:20 AM, tacos-request at amrad.org wrote:
>>
>>> Message: 2
>>> Date: Sat, 05 Feb 2011 13:25:32 -0500
>>> From: Richard O'Neill <richardoneill at earthlink.net>
>>> To: tacos at amrad.org
>>>
>>> Retrograde orbits are often employed by Earth observing polar  
>>> orbiting
>>> satellites. NASA now requires de-orbiting capability on satellites.
>>> We'll eventually have to clean up the other stuff, live with it or
>>> wait
>>> 'till atmospheric drag burns it to a crisp or lays a egg on someone.
>>> As Clint would say, "Do you feel lucky"?
>>>
>>> Richard