Re:SpaceX reprioritized to cyber defense and overcoming sign...
by xoa on Saturday March 05, 2022 @06:38AM
(#30566600)
>others greater energy and thus higher orbits.
Wrong. You cannot execute an orbital change with a single application of delta-v. Any pieces can at most end up in a new elliptical orbit where the high point is further up and the low point is where they started, and this subject to the same atmospheric drag there. It takes a second application of energy at the top to circularize into a new orbit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_syndrome cascades can result and even spread to higher orbits. As an extreme emergency measure it might even be wise to de-orbit everything in attempt to mitigate the damage.