Satellite Collision

A US and a non functioning Russian communications satellite have collided sending out clouds of debris - estimated at 600 sizeable pieces and many thousands if sand size pieces are taken into account.

It sounds as if the debris cloud is high although there is some talk of that particular Irridium satellite being in an low orbit.

The collision was at about 500 miles above Earth, nowhere near the 22,000 miles above Earth where DirecTV's satellites are.