I didn’t realize they were running two sets of this argument in here. For what it’s worth, you’re right. An orbital impact ejection in low earth orbit creates an eccentric orbit where the debris skims even lower in the atmosphere than it would have in a circular orbit, dragging it out of the sky far faster than it would have otherwise. And while the debris could hit a satellite in a higher and therefore more problematic orbit, it’s so wildly unlikely that it’s not meaningful to consider.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure they blocked me, so I figured I’d send a distant affirmation of support.

Right. I’ll note, that your linked article says nothing about Kessler beyond a quote of his saying that space debris would continue to increase even if all launches stopped. Otherwise, the article mainly comments that the sheer number of Starlink satellites below the ISS could interfere with launch/entry opportunities while drastically increasing the number of space objects being tracked by the DoD and NASA.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to criticize Starlink, all I’m pointing out is that Kessler Syndrome is not one of them. I’m assuming you’ve somewhat ironically blocked me, but since we’re exchanging links, here is an article that interviews several scientists including one that worked under Kessler at NASA and now works on NASA’s orbital debris modeling.

https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/understanding-the-misunderstood-kessler-syndrome/

Really playing to your username, eh. I am familiar with Kessler Syndrome. You’ll note that the most important aspect of said event, is the height, at which objects orbit, as that determines how long it takes for it to deorbit. The level of risk declines precipitously the closer to the earth the orbit is, and even if there was a catastrophic cascade at the height Starlink orbits, it would clear after a few years at most.

Impact ejection can cause eccentric orbits, but at that height, those deorbit even faster.

Fortunately, the very clever scientists at NASA have long since determined that there is essentially no risk from Starlink and similar satellite constellations, because they’ve been paying attention to this since before I was born.

… Well, fortunately, I don’t manage satellite deployments, but your friends are welcome to tell NASA that their aerospace engineers are actually wrong and need to stop SpaceX before they ground humanity. I’m sure they would love to hear it.

Starlink satellites are in low earth orbit and deorbit naturally after a few years because of the small amounts of escaping atmosphere slowing them down. A collision cascade can’t really happen because it’s a fundamentally decaying orbit.

At least, there’s no risk of lasting orbital debris, at the cost of the satellites having a much shorter lifespan.

It wasn’t until I got to the cigarettes and cunts as currency that I realized this was not a particularly hardcore monologue from Gravity Falls, a popular show I had not watched, but Gravity’s Rainbow. Great excerpt though.

Even the most well trained and socialized cats will still bite or scratch sometimes when excited or startled. Pretty much every cat owner has a story where their cat suddenly zoomed across them with claws out or randomly chomped instead of play biting. It’s going to happen eventually, and that goes double with an undomesticated predator.

There’s a reason why zookeepers are extremely careful with large cats, even when they raised them from cubs. No amount of professional socialization makes them safe.

That’s my point, 99.99% gentle is fine when they’re mostly harmless, the problem with large predators is that .01% event puts you in the hospital if it doesn’t kill you outright. A tiger’s excited pounce can break half the bones in your body, an excited swipe can disembowel. If those little kickers start going, you lose everything below the waist.

Having large predators for a pet pretty much always ends badly unless they get taken away in time.

You’re saying that like cats socialized with humans never once bite or scratch hard enough to harm. It’s not the thousands of play bites that are the problem, it’s when they randomly crunch down and unmake your shoulder instead of making you dig out the neosporin.

What? It’s literally the opposite. Do you remember the discovery that owning horses extends your lifespan by several years, not for any merit of its own, but because it strictly excludes the poor and most of the middle class?

The more money you have, the healthier you are, the longer you live, and the happier you tend to be. It’s straight propaganda that being rich is somehow a burden or requires people of exceptional mental strength to struggle on.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3139960/

“Hey, it’s cold out here!”

That said, I’m somewhat in awe of your standards given its thirty foot tall height.

On the internet, people have to be more honest.

I… don’t think that’s how it works lol.