[ExI] Name the Rogue Satellite Operation

[hkhenson]

At 02:06 PM 2/20/2008, Stuart wrote:

>--- hkhenson <hkhenson at rogers.com> wrote:
> > The cover story about a hydrazine health hazard is obvious BS.  The
> > point is to show the world that we can do it too.
> >
> > At least the US is being relatively responsible because debris that
> > low will decay out of orbit in a short time.
>
>Yeah but the explosion will likely kick some debris up to a higher
>orbit. At mach 16 it only takes a nut or a bolt to mess up somebody's
>day. How does Operation Killer Confetti sound?

My orbital mechanics is 40 years in the past so correct me if I get this wrong.

A single impulse applied in a low orbit can raise the apogee (i.e., 
make the orbit more egg shaped) but it cannot raise the 
perigee.  That takes a second impulse as in a Hohmann transfer 
orbit.  Now I am assuming that a satellite scraping the atmosphere is 
in a nearly circular low orbit.  So any way you bang it with an 
interceptor, the cloud of junk is going to be in orbits where the low 
point is getting serious drag.  That should keep the decay time short.

Keith