According to a video by Real Engineering the ISS has a 50x50x0.75 km exclusion zone.
Why Isn't it spherical and why is the "vertical" axis so much smaller?
Screenshot from Don’t Drop your Tools in Space cued at 10:34
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2$\begingroup$ Also, related: What is the "ISS's Keep Out Sphere" and what is its radius? $\endgroup$– uhohCommented Jul 13, 2023 at 0:15
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1$\begingroup$ @uhoh added it to the post $\endgroup$– mosheviCommented Jul 13, 2023 at 1:04
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1$\begingroup$ Also related: Any official size for the ISS pizza box? $\endgroup$– CadenceCommented Jul 13, 2023 at 1:36
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1 Answer
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Most of the risk to ISS comes from objects traveling at relatively similar orbital altitudes. Very little will approach ISS from below as objects doing so would in most cases have to originate from within the atmosphere. And approaches from above will also be limited because such objects will end up in the atmosphere after a single pass of ISS.
But objects in similar orbital altitudes will have repeated encounter opportunities if their orbits cross that of the ISS from different inclinations.
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$\begingroup$ But is it a box and not a compressed cylinder, for example? $\endgroup$– DarkDustCommented Jul 13, 2023 at 10:19
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$\begingroup$ @DarkDust yes, it is a box. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 13, 2023 at 11:17
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2$\begingroup$ @OrganicMarble: I meant to write, "But why is it a box…" This question is about the shape and the answer only partially covers that, IMHO. $\endgroup$– DarkDustCommented Jul 13, 2023 at 12:53
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$\begingroup$ @DarkDust ah yes, that's an entirely different question from what you wrote. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 13, 2023 at 12:56
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$\begingroup$ I would assume it's a box instead of a sphere because it's primarily meant to be viewed by ground stations, where drawing a square on the sky is relatively easy. $\endgroup$ Commented Jul 14, 2023 at 20:07