what is this collision thing ?

[r16]

ı heard it on the radio that a US and a Russian satellite collided over Siberia and there were 35 million pieces of debris , and hear this , "30 million tons of junk " The guys are far more reliable when reporting about how a singer ,Robin something aka Rihanna was beaten but the 30 megatons of stuff , now that sounds threatening ! It must have happened to be repeated at least 5 times during the day as ı kept the radio on whole day , but ı can't be so sure .

checking web ı see there is really a collision .

the causes are to be explained in the coming weeks , but ı think ı already have the answer , one of them must have crossed at red light .

 

[starviking]

Only a few tons at most

These are informative:

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/02/11/satellites-collide-in-orbit/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2009/02/12/kablam-satellite-collision-math-and-a-correction/

 

[archipeppe]

It was essentially the collision between a 698 kilograms Iridium 33 satellite, with a Russian Military Communication Strela 2M 900 kg satellite.
The impact generated a "cloud" of over 500 debris at 800 km height orbit.
Obviuosly it is impossible to bave more weight than the two satellite melted togheter.

Iridium 33 was launched in 1997 and it was still operational while Cosmos 2251 was launched in 1993 and it wasn't active.
It remains the mystery of how a big organization like Iridium was unable to foresee such impact considering the inactivity of Russian satellite.

 

[Michel Van]

It remains the mystery of how a big organization like Iridium was unable to foresee such impact considering the inactivity of Russian satellite.

not only Iridium

USAF, Russia military had also unable to foresee
the USAF claim they "Know" were biggest piece of space junk are in orbit !
strange, Wat were they looking at, during crash ?

let me guess, USAF monitored the Iran "Omid"...

 

[sferrin]

It remains the mystery of how a big organization like Iridium was unable to foresee such impact considering the inactivity of Russian satellite.

not only Iridium

USAF, Russia military had also unable to foresee
the USAF claim they "Know" were biggest piece of space junk are in orbit !
strange, Wat were they looking at, during crash ?

let me guess, USAF monitored the Iran "Omid"...

What makes you think the USAF didn't know the satellites were there?

 

[Michel Van]

What makes you think the USAF didn't know the satellites were there?

oh sure they know Cosmos 2251 was out there
but they was so busy with something that, they overlook it

 

[sferrin]

What makes you think the USAF didn't know the satellites were there?

oh sure they know Cosmos 2251 was out there
but they was so busy with something that, they overlook it

Or maybe it's just not the USAF's job to babysit everybody else's satellites.