U.S. Considering Shooting Down Satellite

Aviation Week ^ | David A. Fulghum

[Thermalseeker]

EXCUSE ME....if the tank is full....fire it and put it back into orbit!!!!!

Hard to do, considering they lost contact with this satellite shortly after it was inserted into orbit......

[Hot Tabasco]

the impact could affect humans - perhaps kill some - out to a distance of "20-30 yards,"

...and if it hit somebody in the head it would knock them out cold.

[-=SoylentSquirrel=-]

"...The last that I heard we no longer had the weapon systems to do this...

That's OK, we can just buy the technology back from the Chinese.

[Brian S. Fitzgerald]

They want to create another satellite debris cloud, similar to the one the Chinese created?

[Citizen Tom Paine]

Launch a space shuttle with a couple of computer techs on board and let them repair the computer(s).

[kalee]

ping

[Justa]

Well, it can be simplified then: 1-in-5 lined up against a wall and shot.

[DGHoodini]

Not really applicable to the shuttle accident, which was under controlled flight for most of it’s descent. It was no accident that the debris was in Texas, as that was the state the shuttle was attempting to land. It was well into it’s decent when the heat shield failed. In an uncontrolled descent, without heat shielding, those satellite fuel tanks will blow at a much higher altitude.

[Shryke]

What we need is a shuttle full of oil rig workers and buggies and stuff. And a puppy! Awwwwwww.

[mad_as_he$$]

From "howstuffworks.com"

The airbag's inflation system reacts sodium azide (NaN3) with potassium nitrate (KNO3) to produce nitrogen gas. Hot blasts of the nitrogen inflate the airbag.

The original Chrysler one had hydrazine for sure. There were considered toxic waste after firing.

[papasmurf]

Yeah, but what about the Desert Tortoise? My God, man, have you no compassion?

[scooter2]

Launch a space shuttle with a couple of computer techs on board and let them repair the computer(s).

They can't get anybody from the Geek Squad to go.

[Colorado Doug]

Considering the fact that so much of our stuff is made in China its hard to say what is and isn’t secret anymore.

Shhhh, that's a secret.

[chaosagent]

” It was no accident that the debris was in Texas, as that was the state the shuttle was attempting to land.”

Exactly where in Texas was the Shuttle supposed to land? DFW or HOU.

The Columbia was on course to land at the Cape, not in Texas.

[wita]

Apparently something isn’t quite right or I’m sure they would have thought of that. If it is fireable though, why not just run it out of fuel. Lack of control must be an issue or they would have done that as well.

[Hawthorn]

>> Well, it can be simplified then: 1-in-5 lined up against a wall and shot. <<

Yeah, I think Julius Caesar called it “quintimation.”

[NonLinear]

Nope.

Set all Beebers to ‘stune’!

[Bender2]

Re: ” It was no accident that the debris was in Texas, as that was the state the shuttle was attempting to land.”

Exactly where in Texas was the Shuttle supposed to land? DFW or HOU.

The Columbia was on course to land at the Cape, not in Texas.

To get down from the shuttle's orbit to the Cape... the flight plan was over Texas. Back to Orbital Mechanics 101 for you!

[DGHoodini]

My mistake, but still and all, it was on a controlled descent for most of it’s re-entry. and it’s major malfunction was with a damaged heat shielding...shielding that this satellite does not have, as it was never meant to survive re-entry in it’s entirety, in it’s design. Controlled re-entry or not.

[CholeraJoe]

I’ll bet Desert Tortoises make good soup.