How fast is orbital debris travelling? I believe the speeds would vary based on the debris size, so what would be the range of velocities in that case?
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2Why do you think it would vary based on the size? – Organic Marble Dec 14 '19 at 15:27
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The speed of debris is the same as anything else in orbit. Size matters not, young Jedi! – GdD Dec 14 '19 at 17:00
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Sorry, I meant to say weight. – Dec 17 '19 at 03:52
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Space debris speeds depend on these variables:
- the original orbit of the object that created the debris
- the amount of energy in the event that created the debris (explosion, collision, breakup, accidental release)
- the weight of the debris (given the same amount of input energy, lighter fragments will be launched at higher speeds)
Hobbes
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Thank you for your answer. So how do I go about calculating the speed once I know these variables? – Dec 17 '19 at 03:54
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Speeds vary widely. If you start with a satellite collision, you get thousands of fragments going off at various angles and speeds. If you know the orbit of a piece of debris, you can calculate its speed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbital_speed – Hobbes Dec 17 '19 at 10:28