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To: Maurice Winn who wrote (3949)	4/17/1999 9:01:00 PM
From: Rocket Scientist	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29987

Hi Maurice, re:collisions, I've gotta support Mr. A on this one.... The consequences of a collision for LEO constellations are potentially so catastrophic (one could make entire orbital planes or even altitudes unusable) that constellation and mission planners go to great expense to prevent them. I don't know of any spacecraft collisions to date, but most commercial satellites are nicely spaced at geo altitude, all travelling by definition at the same speed and plane. As we fill up the leo orbital shells, first w/ Iridium and G*, soon (maybe) with Skybridge and Teledesic, more discipline, not less, will be required in keeping spacecraft exactly where they're supposed to be at all times. Regards, RS

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (3949)	4/17/1999 9:31:00 PM
From: John Stichnoth	Respond to of 29987

Maurice, Mr A, et al: Just a couple of thoughts on collisions on random orbits, etc. 1. I wouldn't think orbits would actually end up "random" per se. Rather, they would drift from their original specification, but in a predictable manner. If a licence were required for the new route, it could be obtained as long as other satellites were not threatened. In the orbit vacated by the drifting satellite, either there would be enough others already up there to provide adequate coverage, or as part of ongoing launches the space might be taken by a new satellite. 2. On deep water coverage: I imagine that any deep water sailors and ships will keep their marine radios as backup in any case (for the same reason they might keep a sextant to back up their GPS equipment). Because of their confidence in the marine radio, they would presumably be far less willing to pay up for a more expensive wireless link for the few times they might be out of G's range. Best, JS