Kessler syndrome: vertical diffusion rate?
- Suggests a Kessler cascade would likely begin in LEO, which contains many vehicles at varied inclinations. - Notes simulations show rapid secondary-debris spread, and posits higher-inclination fragments may intersect more and spread faster. - Asks how quickly fragments are transported to higher orbits versus being cleared at lower altitudes by drag, and whether daughter collisions keep debris in the same orbital shell. - Questions whether vertical diffusion mainly creates elliptical orbits cleared at perigee or if other mechanisms can add delta‑V to raise debris into stable circular orbits.
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