We like to say that the world is getting smaller every day. Well now we have proof. Within the last week multiple things have collided with each other. Things that you would think couldn’t possibly collide with each other. No we’re not talking about sub-atomic particles here, we make those collide all the time. We’re talking about large man-made and navigable objects in two vast areas.
The first of these events occurred last week when Iridium-33, a commercial US communications satellite and Russia’s Cosmos 2251 satellite smashed into each other at enormous speeds.
OK, really, I don’t know that it was enormous speeds but one can imagine that two objects orbiting around the planet are probably moving at some spectacular speed at 790 km above the planet. The really funny thing is that the Russian satellite has been ‘turned off for years,.’ Umm…so DO something about it, don’t just leave your toys lying around. Look what happens.
The second collision happened earlier this month (just coming to light now) and boggles the mind far more than the first. Two nuclear submarines smashed into each other. A French and an British one. First of all, what are they both doing with nuclear subs and second…which side of the ocean were they driving on? We all know that the British drive on the opposite side of the road so perhaps these blokes forgot where they were and rammed into the French chaps.
Honestly, how the hell do two submarines collide? I mean the odds of that happening are about the same as two satellites…..oh.
The really strange thing is that no one was hurt (in the sub accident not the satellite one) but both subs were so badly damaged that they had to return directly to port for repairs. There was allegedly never any threat of radiation or nuclear explosions.
Now these subs were in the mid-Atlantic, which is a really big place as you might imagine. They still managed to hit each other. If ever there was a list of reasons for complete nuclear disarmament I think this would be pretty high on it.
The satellites probably had nuclear cores as well which have now most likely become a radioactive debris field. Of course that’s not such a major deal, provided they were small and burn up on re-entry. Sure they’ll disperse some radiation but far less than say if two nuclear-armed subs collided and their armaments went off.