In article , says...

On 2020-06-11 7:41 PM, Alain Fournier wrote:
but weren't we already
day dreaming about space elevators?

Yeah until they got bombarded by a Starlink cluster f**k.

oh well.....

Dave

Active satellites aren't an issue. Starlink satellites can maneuver and
should be able to miss the cable every single time (it's not like the
cable is moving, so it's easy enough to do very small maneuvers far
ahead of time).

The far bigger problem is dead satellites, spent stages (e.g. from
direct GEO insertions, like DOD likes to use for some secret squirrel
satellites), and large debris from the same. Much of these dead things
are in orbits that won't decay for hundreds, thousands, or more years.

Starlink satellites at least have the property that they're in a low
orbit and even if one dies and becomes completely uncontrollable, it
will reenter the earth's atmosphere within a few years.

So, by the time you go to actually build a space elevator, you could
have already put in place measures to insure satellites in LEO won't be
a problem. It's those pesky hunks of space junk in much higher orbits
that will be a *very* long term, problem.

Jeff
--
All opinions posted by me on Usenet News are mine, and mine alone.
These posts do not reflect the opinions of my family, friends,
employer, or any organization that I am a member of.