Spy Satellite DeathMatch

[Jay-qu]

In a certain way, it seems I was. :eek:

 

Here's the latest news on it. It's a very interesting article. :hihi:

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/science/14cnd-satellite.html?bl&ex=1203138000&en=d8071aba42213b68&ei=5087%0A

This is my fav part:

 

That makes it a real-world test both of the nation’s antiballistic missile systems and its antisatellite capabilities, even though the Pentagon said that they were not using the exercise to test their most exotic weapons or send a message to any adversaries.

 

and

 

President Bush ordered the action to prevent any possible contamination from that hazardous rocket fuel on board, and not out of any concern that parts of the spacecraft might survive and its secrets be revealed,

 

Consiracy theorists' would be having a field day :hihi:

[DougF]

freeztar

 

That turned out to be one of those subcription only pages. :hihi:

 

well maybe next time. :hihi:

[freeztar]

freeztar

 

That turned out to be one of those subcription only pages. :eek:

 

well maybe next time. :hihi:

 

Huh?

 

It works fine here, just checked it. :hihi:

[DougF]

freeztar

Huh?

 

It works fine here' date=' just checked it. [/quote']

just checked and it worked (good article)

I'm having problems with home PC sometimes it gets an attitude.

[DougF]

U.S. May Shoot Down Failing Satellite Wednesday

 

The Pentagon may try to shoot down failing spy satellite USA 193 on Wednesday' date=' according to amateur sky watchers.

 

Ted Molczan, the dean of North American satellite spotters, who keeps an eye on the heavens from his Toronto apartment's balcony, on Monday posted on a satellite-observation Web site a "Notice to Airmen" issued earlier that day by the FAA's Honolulu Control Facility.

 

The notice, a standard advisory to commercial and private pilots, announces the closing of airspace over a large area of the Pacific southwest of Hawaii between 2:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. Thursday in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).

 

That corresponds to between 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time (HST), or between 9:30 p.m. Wednesday and 12:30 a.m. Thursday Eastern Standard Time.

[/quote']

FOXNews.com - U.S. May Shoot Down Failing Satellite Wednesday - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News

[DougF]

There are good first indications the shot was successful,

I wounder if there are pieces still big enough to hit the ground?

 

ARLINGTON' date=' VA — At 10:29 p.m. last evening the Navy confirmed it hit a falling and potentially dangerous defense intelligence satellite using an SM-3 missile fired from the deck of the USS Lake Erie in the Northern Pacific.

<--->

Any remaining debris it said "should re-enter within 40 days." The Navy hopes that any pieces of the satellite that do not burn will land in the ocean.

<-->

More will be learned about the success of the hit when General James Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, briefs the Pentagon press tomorrow at 7 a.m.

 

[/quote'] FOXNews.com - Navy Missile Blasts Satellite, Fuel Tank Likely Destroyed - Science News | Science & Technology | Technology News

[Buffy]

CNN has been running a video of the "shootdown" http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2008/02/21/pentagon.sat.shoot7a.cnn this morning, showing a rather spectacular explosion.

 

Here's the Mythbusters' question: Hydrazine--the poisonous fuel they were "concerned" about (not that the Chinese would get the secret parts and reverse engineer them--heck most of the parts came from China anyway right?)--is plenty combustible even in space because it contains its own oxidizer. But how thoroughly would it really burn in such an explosion, and did they really do anything more than disperse it into a larger cloud that will still hit the ground without reducing the possible (although I suspect not very likely) danger to those who might be in the vicinity?

 

I've suspected that this whole thing is less about the hydrazine or the spysat parts, and much more just a testosterone-poisoning-induced need among the military to show the Chinese (who shot down a satellite last year) that "they can do it too"....

 

What I look forward to is continued immaturity followed by death, :)

Buffy

[InfiniteNow]

The Associated Press: Navy Scores Direct Hit on Satellite

The Pentagon says a U.S. missile smashed a disabled spy satellite that was headed for earth and the military is tracking the debris as it falls over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

 

Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon press conference Thursday that he couldn't rule out that hazardous material would fall to the earth.

 

But he says so far officials have tracked "nothing larger than a football."

[Mercedes Benzene]

Well the government had to go and ruin my competition. :)

 

But I agree with you Buffy.... this isn't about a danger to the people. It's about showing China that we can 1-up them.

[freeztar]

But I agree with you Buffy.... this isn't about a danger to the people. It's about showing China that we can 1-up them.

 

I'll have to disagree with both of you. If the US was trying to one-up China, they did a poor job of it.

 

The satellite that China shot down was 537 miles up and it only weighed 880kg with a length of about 7 meters. Which do you suppose shows a more capable missle? If the US wanted to one-up them then they would have shot at a similar target or one further out/smaller. Not to mention, we shot down a satellite in 1985, so they already know we can do it.

 

Perhaps ya'll are right, but it doesn't hold much water imho. :)

[Buffy]

If the US was trying to one-up China, they did a poor job of it.

Well, yah, but it was the best they could do!

 

And although brilliant and logical guys like you can make that distinction, the DoD *knows* that 99% of everybody who pays for the defense budget will just be in awe of their prowess...It is of course testosterone-poisoning, so there's no logic involved!

 

Demonstrate to them our skill, :)

Buffy

[freeztar]

the DoD *knows* that 99% of everybody who pays for the defense budget will just be in awe of their prowess...It is of course testosterone-poisoning, so there's no logic involved!

 

Yeah, I see your point.

 

Maybe it's to muddle the fact that the (what was it, $2Bil) satellite was a total dud. :) Hey look everybody! An explosion! Ya'll like fireworks right!?

 

Feed the pigeons some clay, Turn the night into day