How would space traffic be realistically handled?

[Pixel of Life]

It would be very much like the air traffic control we have now. Instead of following airways, spacecraft would orbit at various pre-determined parking orbits - for example, 100km above or below a station's orbit. Since they're all flying at the same speed and at fixed distances from each other, collisions are very unlikely. Stations would have special "approach and departure corridors", areas located a safe distance away, where arriving spacecraft can safely circularize and departing ones can execute their transfer burns - basically a "space runway" of sorts. Each station would also have at least one holding area, where arriving and departing flights would wait for things such as docking and departure clearances.

Then all it needs is some sort of a traffic control system that manages everything. I'm thinking global traffic control (located on earth), which handles launching, re-entering and parking-orbiting spacecraft, and local traffic control (located at each station) which takes care of arriving and departing traffic, as well as any other operations in the station's vicinity. They would, of course, also communicate with each other to prevent accidents and to make sure the whole system works as efficiently as possible.

[Guest]

Space is no ones territory, and I do not understand what can stop governments behave there as they see fit.

Air traffic control is not good example, because it's only regulates civilian aircraft, and space is militarized today, and, regrettably, will be even more militarized in future.

Even today, military aircraft whiz through any traffic air corridors, often without transponders activated, and some even without civilian transponders installed. Especially is international waters. Only observational skills of fighter pilots and huge amount of luck prevent deadly collisions. And outer space is worse then "international waters".

[Bill Phil]

The aircraft, even the military ones, have external help for navigation. Typically in the form of a nearby air-base...

[Louella]

There'd have to be a space traffic control agency in place.

For one thing, a sub-orbital flight that other countries haven't been notified about, might have the appearance of an atomic missile.

iirc, the Israeli space agency launches to the west, rather than the east, for this reason.

[Guest]

The aircraft, even the military ones, have external help for navigation. Typically in the form of a nearby air-base...

True, but military airbase often do not talk to civilian traffic control. Especially to foreign one. Most military personnel in the world not even speak English, international air traffic control language.

Even to the point, that military aircraft intentionally harass civilian airways to make some nations feel unsafe. In space it will be same tenfold.

[Zilentification]

Even to the point, that military aircraft intentionally harass civilian airways to make some nations feel unsafe. In space it will be same tenfold.

Where does this happen? The middle east? If a country's military bullied commercial air-traffic in any part of the modern world the responsible party would be crucified politically (and quite possibly economically). Simply put, no country (maybe North Korea) wants that kind of negative attention on them, its not like it gains them anything. The nations with space programs aren't very hostile to each-other (in regards to space). For example, even Russia and the United States are able to work together and keep the ISS running. Not to mention all the treaties they (and most of the world) have signed regarding conduct in space.

If space flight became routine®, then it almost certainly would still be limited to the more developed countries. None of these guys want incidents in space. They'll come up with some set of rules and work together to make space flight safe. The only question is whether the rulebeook will preempt a lot of disasters, or will it be written in blood like the standard aviation one.

Edited January 11, 2015 by Zilentification

[neamerjell]

As an avid enthusiast of science fiction in its various forms (novels, video games, movies), I believe I can provide some meaningful insight. Science fiction is usually a good predictor, if not inspiration for science fact. I think many authors and video game makers have a similar idea of a major space station orbiting a planet which serves as a port, complete with a TSA-like ship scanner, something analogous to a passport and so on. From the port, you could just dock there and do business or pass further security checks and gain clearance to land on the planet.

As far as traffic control, as someone said before "space is big and collisions are rare." The highest probability of collision would be around the space station ports, where multiple ships would be in very close proximity. I would think that travel to certain planets within our solar system would take on a "seasonal" pattern based on the economic feasibility of getting there. For example, Earth and Mars are closer sometimes and far away most other times. Since propulsion methods would not likely vary by much in the grand scheme of things, as long as departures were launched sequentially, rather than all at once, the chances of a collision would be low. Collisions between departures and arrivals could pose a problem, but minor course corrections often result in tens if not hundreds of kilometers difference in distance (again "space is big, collisions are rare"). Perhaps the economically feasible way to get around this would be to have one or two massive ships make a single trip to and from Mars and Earth, with different companies and private citizens booking space on the ship for passengers and/or cargo. Earth and Mars would only be this close together for so long anyway, why risk a whole bunch of little ships creating the space equivalent of a 120 car pile up on a freeway? Mars might not be able to wait months or years for another supply ship.

As for planets without stations (remote outposts, colonies too small to warrant a station), Star Trek has a concept that could be put to use: the "standard orbit." Perhaps new arrivals assume this standard orbit at a certain altitude and inclination. Once cleared through a security check or what not, that new arrival might drop altitude by a few hundred meters to prevent collisions with any subsequent new arrivals. Being a small colony or outpost, this planet would not have anywhere near the amount of traffic a major space port, like Earth or Mars would. Something equivalent to NORAD's space junk tracker might be sufficient to keep track of all the possible vessels that would be in orbit. However, I revert back to my economic feasibility theory - one big ship once the colony is established.

[Whirligig Girl]

Earth orbit is so big that I don't think space traffic will be much of a problem, other than the normal problems of the Kessel Syndrome. I'm not sure if it's a law yet, but the UN should have a law (and thus all of the UN nations) that makes it illegal to cause an ablation cascade. Because space terrorism could be real! Just smash into a few satellites and suddenly you don't go to space anymore. There should probably be an effort in the near-ish future to retrieve/deorbit all pieces of dangerous space junk orbiting the Earth.

EDIT: @the above post

I wonder what determines a "standard orbit"? There are some situations where orbits are just not stable at all. Maybe it's when perterbations from stable orbit are within a certain percent. Maybe the ship calculates what a proper orbit should be based upon the everything.

Edited January 13, 2015 by GregroxMun

[Bill Phil]

Kessler syndrome takes a long time. And it's very overrated.

[Dkmdlb]

but the UN should have a law (and thus all of the UN nations) that makes it illegal to cause an ablation cascade.

Causing an ablation cascade is already illegal because it's vandalism and also other things.

[Bill Phil]

About standard orbits:

It could be a certain altitude above local sea level.

[Sampa]

my guess is that the ship computers will handle most collision avoidance. ships would be fully automated.