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Two satellites collide in orbit
Spaceflight Now ^
| February 11, 2009
| WILLIAM HARWOOD
Posted on 02/11/2009 1:39:00 PM PST by Names Ash Housewares
In an unprecedented space collision, a commercial Iridium communications satellite and a presumably defunct Russian Cosmos satellite ran into each other Tuesday above northern Siberia, creating a cloud of wreckage, officials said today.
The international space station does not appear to be threatened by the debris, they said, but it's not yet clear whether it poses a risk to any other military or civilian satellites.
"They collided at an altitude of 790 kilometers (491 miles) over northern Siberia Tuesday about noon Washington time," said Nicholas Johnson, NASA's chief scientist for orbital debris at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "The U.S. space surveillance network detected a large number of debris from both objects."
One source said nearly 300 fragments were being tracked, but Johnson said it was not yet clear how much debris was generated.
"It's going to take a while," he said. "It's very, very difficult to discriminate all those objects when they're really close together. And so, over the next couple of days, we'll have a much better understanding. But it's at a minimum, I think we're talking many, many dozens, if not hundreds."
(Excerpt) Read more at spaceflightnow.com ...
TOPICS: Front Page News
KEYWORDS: satellites; space
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Doh!
To: Names Ash Housewares
If nobody’s there to hear it, did it make a sound?
2
posted on
02/11/2009 1:41:11 PM PST
by
library user
(Rod Blagojevich should have been TIME MAGAZINE'S "Person of the Year.")
Comment #3 Removed by Moderator
To: Names Ash Housewares
That would have been COOL to have seen the collision.
4
posted on
02/11/2009 1:41:45 PM PST
by
SIDENET
("If that's your best, your best won't do." -Dee Snider)
To: Names Ash Housewares
a commercial Iridium communications satellite and a presumably defunct Russian Cosmos satellite ran into each otherAccidently or intentionally?
5
posted on
02/11/2009 1:41:50 PM PST
by
Joiseydude
(Obama: "Putting my ideals into effect are more important than your safety from terrorist acts")
To: Names Ash Housewares
First thought...
Was it really a collision? or an interception?
Do they know for sure the russian satellite was “defunct”?
6
posted on
02/11/2009 1:42:02 PM PST
by
Names Ash Housewares
(Refusing to kneel before the socialist messiah. 1-20-13 Freedom Day.)
To: library user
If nobodys there to hear it, did it make a sound? "In space, no one can hear your scream."
7
posted on
02/11/2009 1:42:21 PM PST
by
SIDENET
("If that's your best, your best won't do." -Dee Snider)
To: SIDENET
“That would have been COOL to have seen the collision.”
Talk about the ultimate Iridium flare!
8
posted on
02/11/2009 1:42:45 PM PST
by
No Truce With Kings
(The opinions expressed are mine! Mine! MINE! All Mine!)
To: library user
If nobodys there to hear it, did it make a sound?No atmosphere, no sound, regardless of whether or not any ears or mikes are in the vicinity.
To: Names Ash Housewares
Anyone else get the feeling this was not accidental, but instead a test in case they need to take a satellite out of service but have no rocket or laser to do it? Or have I read too many Tom Clancy novels?
10
posted on
02/11/2009 1:42:59 PM PST
by
theDentist
(Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll)
To: SIDENET
your = you
Geez, I can't even get a movie quote right.
11
posted on
02/11/2009 1:43:02 PM PST
by
SIDENET
("If that's your best, your best won't do." -Dee Snider)
To: SIDENET
I wish I could have seen it too, but there’s no way this is an accident. Not from the drunken slobs in Russia over their territory.
12
posted on
02/11/2009 1:43:26 PM PST
by
Moonman62
(I didn't compromise my soul to be popular. -- Jimmy Carter)
To: Baynative
Don’t worry. Algore will try to tell us that we are all going to die from the debris.
To: Names Ash Housewares
This got moved to the chatroom in a hurry.
14
posted on
02/11/2009 1:45:44 PM PST
by
library user
(Rod Blagojevich should have been TIME MAGAZINE'S "Person of the Year.")
To: Names Ash Housewares
15
posted on
02/11/2009 1:46:09 PM PST
by
sticker
To: Baynative
This is bound to happen and the more stuff out there the worse it will be.
I really hope we dont rely to much on satellites if there is ever a major war. The Chinese would just intentionally spread debris everyplace.
16
posted on
02/11/2009 1:46:33 PM PST
by
Steve Van Doorn
(*in my best Eric cartman voice* 'I love you guys')
To: library user
Yes. Annoying.
After Georgia, this is NOT “chat”.
And is a very rare event.
17
posted on
02/11/2009 1:46:45 PM PST
by
Names Ash Housewares
(Refusing to kneel before the socialist messiah. 1-20-13 Freedom Day.)
To: Joiseydude
It should be pretty easy for the guys at Space Command to tell if the Russians made a change in orbit. I don't know how much the Iridium can change its orbit, but unless there is evidence otherwise it looks like the Iridium will be cited.
18
posted on
02/11/2009 1:46:57 PM PST
by
KarlInOhio
(On 9/11 Israel mourned with us while the Palestinians danced in the streets. Who should we support?)
To: library user
**If nobodys there to hear it, did it make a sound?**
Can you have sound with out an atmosphere?
19
posted on
02/11/2009 1:47:38 PM PST
by
ThomasThomas
( Accept it, there is no except after in math.)
To: library user
Thats brilliant. Hopefully the day we get a city nuked it can avoid chat for the first hour or so. With some of today’s mods, the 9/11 threads would have went to chat between 8:45 and 9:02 AM ET.
20
posted on
02/11/2009 1:47:56 PM PST
by
John W
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