What's the usual "safe orbital distance" between two neighbur LEO satellites?

[Cesrate]

I mean... the distance between the closest points of two trajectories.

[Deadpangod3]

If I know what you mean, as long as they don't collide, it's a safe orbit

[K^2]

I mean... the distance between the closest points of two trajectories.

Depends entirely on the orbits. Just because two orbits intersect, doesn't mean the two satellites can ever collide. If they are synchronized with some 3rd body, for example, you can guarantee that they pass through intersection point at different times. In LEO, it should be possible to synchronize orbits using the fact that Earth is a spheroid. In other orbits, you can use a moon. If the two bodies are massive enough to influence each other's orbits, really crazy things could happen. Consider orbits of Epimetheus and Janus for example.

If you cannot guarantee synchronization, it's a question of how much the orbits are going to fluctuate. In LEO, the biggest enemy is drag. An orbit that decays is going to change both in period and in position. If the orbit is stable, on the other hand, you don't need much space. Just enough for the two objects to pass each other and maybe a bit for orbital perturbations.

Finally, keep in mind that even if you have no control over the orbit, odds of collision are astronomically small. Have you seen maps of objects in LEO? And yet, there was ever only one collision between satellites.

[Cesrate]

Depends entirely on the orbits. Just because two orbits intersect, doesn't mean the two satellites can ever collide. If they are synchronized with some 3rd body, for example, you can guarantee that they pass through intersection point at different times. In LEO, it should be possible to synchronize orbits using the fact that Earth is a spheroid. In other orbits, you can use a moon. If the two bodies are massive enough to influence each other's orbits, really crazy things could happen. Consider orbits of Epimetheus and Janus for example.

If you cannot guarantee synchronization, it's a question of how much the orbits are going to fluctuate. In LEO, the biggest enemy is drag. An orbit that decays is going to change both in period and in position. If the orbit is stable, on the other hand, you don't need much space. Just enough for the two objects to pass each other and maybe a bit for orbital perturbations.

Finally, keep in mind that even if you have no control over the orbit, odds of collision are astronomically small. Have you seen maps of objects in LEO? And yet, there was ever only one collision between satellites.

I haven't seen such a map, could you offer me one?

[Cesrate]

And… Is such a synchronization possible in KSP?

[K^2]

No, you can't synchronize orbits in KSP. That requires perturbations or 3-body physics. Neither is simulated. On the other hand, orbits are perfectly stable, so if you have two orbits pass more than size of your satellites from each other, you'll never have a collision.

[Camacha]

Google is your friend, these maps aren't hard to find you can read more about it here.

[Cesrate]

No, you can't synchronize orbits in KSP. That requires perturbations or 3-body physics. Neither is simulated. On the other hand, orbits are perfectly stable, so if you have two orbits pass more than size of your satellites from each other, you'll never have a collision.

Oh, while when you select to one satellite, it's orbit will shake.

Edited April 22, 2013 by Cesrate

[Cesrate]

Google Map?

And I don't know how to show satellites in Google Earth, how to?