Pentagon to shoot down broken spy satellite

AP ^ | 02-14-2008 | AP

[montag813]

WASHINGTON - U.S. officials say the Pentagon is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite expected to hit the Earth in early March.

This is the U.S. military will use a missile to destroy a satellite in space, NBC News reports.

The spy satellite has lost all power and is expected to crash back on earth in early March, spreading debris and potentially hazardous fuel over several hundred miles.

[Captain Rhino]

I imagine that the shoot down will probably occur when the satellite is quite a bit lower in orbit than it is now. This would allow the debris to deorbit and burn up fairly soon after the destruction event. I have no knowledge of the warhead design, but if it is directional, it would certainly be desirable for the explosion to come from above. That way, most of the debris would be blown down toward into the atmosphere and burn up immediately.

However, you are right. If they muff this, it would be a P.R. mess.

[OrioleFan]

Time for someone to invent a new space vacuum cleaner!!

Ah yes - Qwark!

[Southack]

All of the pieces are coming down (whether the satellite is intercepted or not)...but they are concerned that an intact fuel tank would be like a poison bomb when it hit.

Intercepting this falling bird, however, should prevent the fuel tank from coming down intact.

[BlueDragon]

Someday even the moon will again collide with Earth.

Not unless some other large force, currently not present upon the scene, acts upon the Moon or the Earth or both, and barring that;
not according to the information in the link that I took the trouble of supplying for you.
There are many other sources which say much the same.
At the moment, measurements have shown the Moon to be receding, getting farther away, 3.8 centimeters a year, or something close to that, if memory serves...

The theory is, that it's been doing so, for a very long time, and will continue. The link I supplied, tells why and how this is so, in a fairly straightforward fashion.

The Moon is slowly slipping away from us, and we are also spinning slower, just a tiny fraction of second, each and every year. This, according to science, observed measurements, and investigations that have found reasonable explanation as to why this occurs, etc...

By the time the Earth becomes gravitationally locked with the Moon, no longer spinning on it's axis, then the Sun is calculated to have exhausted it's fuel supply by then, and the Earth and Moon would be much, much farther apart, too. At that point I suppose the orbits would be stable, at least momentarily, after which THEN orbital decay might set in? I don't rightly know, but according to calculations, it would only occur in the darkest & longest of dark nights!

[mad_as_he$$]

I understand your position and believe that the current model of the Earth Moon interaction is a accurate as it can be based upon the available data and influences. On the other hand how delicate is that balance? Some small shift in the orbit of one of that larger planets or some very large object effect on the solar system will eventually come into play. I put no time constraints on my comment. I think one of the very early satellites just decayed enough to renter - what from 40 years ago. It is a safe bet that it nothing mankind has to worry about....

"I would simply change the gravitational constant of the universe" Q.

[CodeMasterPhilzar]

The SM-3 has no warhead. The SM-3 (and the bigger GBIs in Alaska and California) are "hit to kill" technology. They just physically run into their target and destroy it via kinetic energy transfer. Note, it is a lot of energy. These things hit at something like 10,000 meters per second relative closing velocity... (give or take a little depending on geometry, altitude, etc)

I wonder if they can tailor the flight profile and "end game" intercept such that the SM-3 is coming down on it's target? That would push a lot of the debris down and into lower orbit. Might be a tougher intercept though. I think they like to have the target nice and bright/hot against a cold space background. (not earth clutter)

As for muffing it - not likely. The SM-3 has a record of something like 9 for 9 when launched. (I think there was one test where they failed to launch due to a non-missile problem) As I understand it, the Navy guys refer to them as "silver bullets"...

[BlueDragon]

Our near Earth orbiting satellites, without some acceleration, will yes, eventually all fall down [as I made note of in my first post to you].

No time constraints? Then ok, without some other large change [which I also included as something of a wild-card disclaimer] then most likely, only in the dark (after the Sun stops shining) could the Moon and Earth make contact, like I said.

It's not really very arguable that "some small shift" of the orbits of other planets could affect enough change, since forces of gravity decrease at the square of distance. The Moon and Earth, are pretty close, even very close to one another, in comparison.

geez, couldn't you just go to the link, read what's there, and say, yeah, ok, the Moon most likely aint ever going to crash to Earth, if EVER? Why is that so hard?

[BlueDragon]

However, you are right. If they muff this, it would be a P.R. mess.

[BlueDragon]

Keep Shooting!!!

[Global2010]

STAR WARS! (kinda)
I think this kinda stuff is intriguing and kinda exciting.

Im hoping to have a non contaminated piece fall on the property here, then I have forever wished the same more so about space rocks.

Last night I saw a light the size of a bright star moving south east on a direct path and was wondering if that was a satellite of some sort.

First time up here on the PNW Coast in my 20 yrs here I have seen a so called satellite.

Use to see smaller star light ones down in Cali often 20plus years ago....
someone told me then it was a satellite I was seeing.

However I am very gullible on certain topics.

[Captain Rhino]

I spent some time in MDA in the 2000-2002 time frame and knew we were using kinetic kill in the mid-course intercept engagement. But I couldn’t remember if the theater level systems (SM-3 mod and Patriot 3) were also exclusively kinetic kill as well.

As for tailoring the flight path, probably so since the SM-3 is a proven intercept platform and the kinetic warhead has terminal maneuvering capability. A bus size target should present no problem to the guidance system per se. But you are right about the background contrast issues. Intercept would be better from below, but a kinetic kill with that much energy is going to send debris in every direction anyway. So it may not matter what angle it hits the target from. If that is the case, then the engagement mode most likely to yield succes should be used. Since the intercept will definitely destroy the hydrazine fuel (which seems to be a major concern), maybe that is good enough.

Muffing it, in this case, is not meant as an aspersion on the system, which is proven. Rather it is a comment regarding the possible unknown x unknown factors and their consequences. (I.e., we don't know what we don't know.) The Chinese would just sluff off screwing a half dozen satellites with blast debris. We'd end up paying for them.

[3Lean]

But if the vacuum is dirty how do we clean it without a vacuum cleaner??? :)

[archy]

Wonder what could be on it that they don’t want to take any chance of it surviving re-entry.

The Future Imagery Architecture program cameras aboard are not something we'd want to fall into the hands of just anyone. Particularly, if they're in fact powered by a nuclear radioisotope thermoelectric generator.

Interesting links in the FReeppost *here*.

[telstar1]

...they don’t want the sensor package to survive re-entry, and end up on e-bay, or worse, end up in the hands of the democrats....

[mad_as_he$$]

I have made a very good career out of anticipating bad things that will happen and how to prevent them or mitigate the damage. Sorry it is the way my head works. I will still bet you someday the Moon crashes into the Earth - again. Of course we won’t be around to see it or not!!! In the universe I believe there are a multitude of things that could rock the cosmic boat so to speak. Hubble has revealed hundreds of galaxies in self destruct mode. It is also part of having chronological impairment, you realize gravity always wins.

[BlueDragon]

Berylium, huh? And here I ws hoping it I'd be out in the boonies, and it'd crashland within sight...

Guess I'd better scratch that plan. Besides, I've attempted to deal with Vandenburg folks previously, concerning old rocket motors trawled up from the bottom, just offshore of the place, and geez, what a run-a-round.

I could just imagine if I told 'em, "hey, I got part of your super secret spy doo-hickey", and "just give me $10,000 or so in unmarked bills, and I'll hand it over", I'd be getting a free one-way ride to the airforce base!

Would they go so far as to start pulling fingernails off, do you suppose?

[archy]

Would they go so far as to start pulling fingernails off, do you suppose?

Yes. But they start with toenails, which are a lot less obvious in public [unless you walk around barefoot a lot.

Of course some of the folks so damaged are found to be tragic boating or industrial accidents. Or are just never found at all.

[BlueDragon]

Guess I’d have to use an intermediary then...

[AnimalLover]

bttt

[saganite]

KMA. I bet you understand that.