Satellite Solar Power Debris risk

One of the other posts got me thinking.

Imagine (in 2100-2200) SSP providing 100 TW of power to Earth. Let's
say this is made up of 1,000 satellites, each of 1,000km2 (say 32 by
32 km), orbiting in Geostationary Earth orbit. The distance between
each satellite is about 250km. It would look nice from Earth.

What is the level of threat from debris? If a satellite got hit, would
it create more debris which would hit other satellites, until
eventually the whole orbit became unusable? Or would any debris
eventually be forced into the same geostationary orbit.

What safety measures would need to be taken?

I would suggest:

- All construction out of non-brittle material, so high speed debris
makes holes, but doesn't shatter anything.
- Security, rules and traffic control to stop anyone putting an object
into a dangerous orbit (like a retrograde GEO).
- Debris clean up program. How would this work? Could lasers be used
to vaporise small objects?
- Collision object capture. Same as above? Perhaps between the power
sats a movable catcher, that catches any object crossing the GEO
"ring". Objects will typically cross about 12 times before impacting.

Any others?

"Alex Terrell" wrote in message
om...
One of the other posts got me thinking.

Imagine (in 2100-2200) SSP providing 100 TW of power to Earth. Let's
say this is made up of 1,000 satellites, each of 1,000km2 (say 32 by
32 km), orbiting in Geostationary Earth orbit. The distance between
each satellite is about 250km. It would look nice from Earth.

What is the level of threat from debris? If a satellite got hit, would
it create more debris which would hit other satellites, until
eventually the whole orbit became unusable? Or would any debris
eventually be forced into the same geostationary orbit.

As you say in the last line above, they are in the same orbit and don't move
relative to each other.


--
Alan Erskine
We can get people to the Moon in five years,
not the fifteen GWB proposes.
Give NASA a real challenge

Alex Terrell wrote:
One of the other posts got me thinking.

Imagine (in 2100-2200) SSP providing 100 TW of power to Earth. Let's
say this is made up of 1,000 satellites, each of 1,000km2 (say 32 by
32 km), orbiting in Geostationary Earth orbit. The distance between
each satellite is about 250km. It would look nice from Earth.

What is the level of threat from debris? If a satellite got hit, would
it create more debris which would hit other satellites, until
eventually the whole orbit became unusable? Or would any debris
eventually be forced into the same geostationary orbit.

If the material forming the debris were originally in a circular orbit,
it seems to me it would now be in an elliptical orbit. The debris
following this elliptical orbit would re-intersect the circular orbit at
the same speed and angle that it left the circular orbit.

Some of it's momentum would be absorbed by the SPS it collides with, so
I believe the next generation of debris would carry a little less
momentum, and so on. So instead of a chain reaction, I see the expanding
debris cloud getting weaker and dying out.


What safety measures would need to be taken?

I would suggest:

- All construction out of non-brittle material, so high speed debris
makes holes, but doesn't shatter anything.
- Security, rules and traffic control to stop anyone putting an object
into a dangerous orbit (like a retrograde GEO).

Hmmm. If the Main Belt gets ****ed off at us, maybe the Geosynchronous
belt of power and communication satellites would be an easy target.




--
Hop David
http://clowder.net/hop/index.html