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Space station moves to avoid debris(China overplayed it hand)
upi.com ^

Posted on 02/03/2007 4:46:22 AM PST by MARKUSPRIME

MOSCOW, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- U.S. and Russian officials changed the International Space Station's orbit to keep it clear of debris from a satellite destroyed by China, a report says.

"We are diverting the orbit of the ISS to prevent a possible collision with large fragments of space debris, a decision the Russian Mission Control took together with the Johnson Space Center in Houston," a Russian Mission Control spokesman told Novosti Friday.

The spokesman said the debris did not threaten the space station, and that an anti-meteorite system protected it from smaller fragments.

China set off an international protest when it announced in January it had used a ground-based missile to hit one its aging weather satellites, Novosti reported.

The United States filed a diplomatic protest, Novosti said, because the weather satellite used approximately the same orbit as its spy satellites. Canada, Australia and Japan also objected.

Russian and U.S. space agencies were both tracking fragments from the weather satellite. U.S. officials said they were following 525 large fragments and had recorded between 500 and 600 instances of debris passing within three miles of orbiting satellites.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: china; clintonlegacy; earth; india; israel; iss; missile; nasa; orbit; russia; satellite; space; walmartsfriend
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Thanks for overplaying your hand chicoms.Im sure all the military powers will now make counter measures against you. Thanks for the heads up. Morons.
1 posted on 02/03/2007 4:46:25 AM PST by MARKUSPRIME
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To: cmdjing; Jedi Master Pikachu; USMMA_83

Ping.


2 posted on 02/03/2007 4:51:51 AM PST by CarrotAndStick (The articles posted by me needn't necessarily reflect my opinion.)
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To: MARKUSPRIME

And send China the bill.


3 posted on 02/03/2007 4:52:57 AM PST by AngrySpud (Behold, I am The Anti-Crust ... Anti-Hillary)
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To: MARKUSPRIME
 
 ISS Height Profile
 
 
This plot shows the orbital height of the ISS over the last year. Clearly visible are the re-boosts which suddenly increase the height, and the gradual decay in between. The height is averaged over one orbit, and the gradual decrease is caused by atmospheric drag. As can be seen from the plot, the rate of descent is not constant and this variation is caused by changes in the density of the tenuous outer atmosphere due mainly to solar activity.
 
 

4 posted on 02/03/2007 5:02:12 AM PST by Lokibob (Greatest snow on earth. www.utahweatherlinks.com)
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To: MARKUSPRIME

We need to send China a bill for the costs involved. STupid idiots. Must be a genetic link between the leadership in China and Kim-dum-Idiot of North Korea...


5 posted on 02/03/2007 6:04:21 AM PST by TheBattman (I've got TWO QUESTIONS for you....)
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To: MARKUSPRIME

Except it DID NOT happen.

According to Jim Oberg, the UPI article is based upon a poor translation of a Russian news piece. The Russian Novi piece stated something on the order of if debris from that test endangered the ISS, it would be moved with the move controlled from the Space Operations Center in Moscow. UPI mistranslated the "would be" as "was" -- which is an easy error to make, but is nevertheless, sloppy as all get out.


6 posted on 02/03/2007 6:53:56 AM PST by No Truce With Kings (The opinions expressed are mine! Mine! MINE! All Mine!)
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To: MARKUSPRIME

I doubt any major player is going to isolate China as a result of this. I wish it would happen, but Putin wants to keep China with him as much as possible.


7 posted on 02/03/2007 7:36:44 AM PST by aynrandfreak (Who would turn out better if we split into two separate countries based on the '04 Presidential Map?)
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To: MARKUSPRIME

Law of unintended consequences???


8 posted on 02/03/2007 7:56:13 AM PST by Don Corleone (Leave the gun..take the cannoli)
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To: MARKUSPRIME

Moscow obviously doesn't care about the test... (Russia has the most anti-sattellite weapons of any power)


9 posted on 02/03/2007 8:05:39 AM PST by Thunder90
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To: MARKUSPRIME; All
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin made a landmark visit to China in September last year. The trip was intended to begin a dialog between the two nations about future cooperation in space exploration.

I hope this reckless and aggressive action by China puts an end to any further contact between NASA and the Chinese. China should be shunned like the international space faring pariah that they are in the world.

For reference, the satellite that China exploded into hundreds of dangerous pieces was orbiting Earth at an altitude of 542 miles. There are currently more than 280 satellites orbiting Earth below an altitude of 542 miles, including the Hubble Space Telescope at an altitude of 352 miles.

10 posted on 02/03/2007 8:19:22 AM PST by Unmarked Package (Amazing surprises await us under cover of a humble exterior.)
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To: No Truce With Kings
According to Jim Oberg, the UPI article is based upon a poor translation of a Russian news piece. The Russian Novi piece stated something on the order of if debris from that test endangered the ISS, it would be moved with the move controlled from the Space Operations Center in Moscow. UPI mistranslated the "would be" as "was" -- which is an easy error to make, but is nevertheless, sloppy as all get out.

Why does UPI print a story without verifying it?

11 posted on 02/03/2007 8:56:34 AM PST by Fitzcarraldo
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To: Lokibob; MARKUSPRIME
"... this variation is caused by changes in the density of the tenuous outer atmosphere due mainly to solar activity"

Global warming, huh? Then it's Bush's fault.

The Space Station would have been completely safe if only he had signed Kyoto. </sarcasm>

12 posted on 02/03/2007 8:59:07 AM PST by NicknamedBob (Sign says, "No dogs allowed -- except seeing-eye dogs" Why don't they put that sign down lower?)
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To: Unmarked Package
"For reference, the satellite that China exploded into hundreds of dangerous pieces was orbiting Earth at an altitude of 542 miles. There are currently more than 280 satellites orbiting Earth below an altitude of 542 miles, including the Hubble Space Telescope at an altitude of 352 miles.

So, as atmospheric resistance slows down this space junk, everything below 542 miles altitude will be joined some time by this debris. If all of it is rotating in the same direction and speed, not much to worry about. However, if a meteorite came in and deflected some of the debris, you would have a nuisance. Also, we have no way to know where all of that destroyed satellite went. The Hubble Space Telescope has some suspicious problems. And, we will have little information about the more top secret satellites which are also in low orbit.

13 posted on 02/03/2007 9:02:43 AM PST by jonrick46 (P)
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To: MARKUSPRIME
Looks like the story is being pulled...google news had one line to a story

"ImediNews, Georgia - 3 hours ago MOSCOW (UPI) — US and Russian officials changed the International Space Station's orbit to keep it clear of debris from a satellite destroyed by China, ..." at

http://www.imedinews.ge/en/news_read/18518

But it's a different story when you get there.

14 posted on 02/03/2007 9:05:03 AM PST by Fitzcarraldo
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To: MARKUSPRIME
Actually nothing is going happen out of this except some initial hot air. Business and corporate interests will not let anything punitive against the chicoms.
15 posted on 02/03/2007 9:09:27 AM PST by Moorings
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To: MARKUSPRIME

China launched a nav satellite today and will be launching ten various satellites this year including a lunar orbiter.


16 posted on 02/03/2007 9:11:49 AM PST by RightWhale (300 miles north of Big Wild Life)
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To: Fitzcarraldo

" Why does UPI print a story without verifying it?"

1. They are UPI. And your problem with that is?

2. The UPI Moscow bureau is basically some dude who translates Novi articles, and slaps UPI's name on it. (It is legit -- Novi gets paid.) The language in the original was a little ambiguous. If you were up on Russian you knew what they meant . . . but if you did not know Russian inside out, it was easy to misinterpret.

Note that the original Russian-language version WAS correct and HAD been verified. The problem was a mistranslation of the original text.


17 posted on 02/03/2007 9:39:46 AM PST by No Truce With Kings (The opinions expressed are mine! Mine! MINE! All Mine!)
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To: MARKUSPRIME
Actually, this is not a bad thing for China. They make a move by destroying a satelitte and see our reaction and capabilities.

All our sats have 'some' manuvering fuel, but if enough of this debris is in the same or similar orbit, and scattering....that fuel will be used up rather rapidly if the US has to continually manuver to avoid the debris. Soon, that fuel will be used up..and make them easier targets.

You have to admire the operational concept. This is a long term project.

Solution: Continued SDI R&D.

18 posted on 02/03/2007 9:46:12 AM PST by Pistolshot (Condi 2008.<------added January 2004. Remember you heard it here first)
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To: jonrick46
"If all of it is rotating in the same direction and speed, not much to worry about."

For the 280+ satellites orbiting below an altitude of 542 miles, the orbit inclinations from the equator vary from 2 to 143 degrees, although the majority (~212) are in the range of 86 to 99 degrees inclination. The Feng Yun 1C satellite destroyed by China was in a polar orbit at 98.8 degrees inclination. The data includes Mil/Gov/Comm/Civil satellites.

Orbital mechanics make it improbable that any particular satellite will be hit by the debris, but there is still no excuse for this dangerous test conducted by China.

19 posted on 02/03/2007 10:58:29 AM PST by Unmarked Package (Amazing surprises await us under cover of a humble exterior.)
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To: CarrotAndStick

Appreciated.


20 posted on 02/03/2007 11:11:15 AM PST by Jedi Master Pikachu ( WND, NewsMax, Townhall.com, Brietbart.com, and Drudge Report are not valid news sources.)
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