Bonham Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 Don't mean to be the bearer of bad news. Just saw this posted on another forum, thought you guys might wanna know, and discuss. Disabled spy satellite threatens Earth By EILEEN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 26, 6:31 PM ET WASHINGTON - A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and could hit the Earth in late February or March, government officials said Saturday. The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret. "Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, when asked about the situation after it was disclosed by other officials. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause." He would not comment on whether it is possible for the satellite to be perhaps shot down by a missile. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss any specifics at this time. A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation. Such an uncontrolled re-entry could risk exposure of U.S. secrets, said John Pike, a defense and intelligence expert. Spy satellites typically are disposed of through a controlled re-entry into the ocean so that no one else can access the spacecraft, he said. Pike also said it's not likely the threat from the satellite could be eliminated by shooting it down with a missile, because that would create debris that would then re-enter the atmosphere and burn up or hit the ground. Pike, director of the defense research group GlobalSecurity.org, estimated that the spacecraft weighs about 20,000 pounds and is the size of a small bus. He said the satellite would create 10 times less debris than the Columbia space shuttle crash in 2003. As for possible hazardous material in the spacecraft, Pike said it might contain beryllium, a light metal with a high melting point that is used in the defense and aerospace industries. Breathing beryllium can lead to chronic, incurable respiratory problems. Jeffrey Richelson, a senior fellow with the National Security Archive, said the spacecraft likely is a photo reconnaissance satellite. Such eyes in the sky are used to gather visual information from space about adversarial governments and terror groups, including construction at suspected nuclear sites or militant training camps. The satellites also can be used to survey damage from hurricanes, fires and other natural disasters. The largest uncontrolled re-entry by a NASA spacecraft was Skylab, the 78-ton abandoned space station that fell from orbit in 1979. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia. In 2000, NASA engineers successfully directed a safe de-orbit of the 17-ton Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, using rockets aboard the satellite to bring it down in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean. In 2002, officials believe debris from a 7,000-pound science satellite smacked into the Earth's atmosphere and rained down over the Persian Gulf, a few thousand miles from where they first predicted it would plummet. Quote
Trailer Trash Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 (edited) On January 29th, the asteroid TU24 makes a close approach to Earth I am more worried about a strike from a Near-Earth Object than space junk. Besides a piece of a fallen satellite might fetch a handsome price! Edited January 27, 2008 by Trailer Trash Quote
seirios Posted January 27, 2008 Posted January 27, 2008 Oh, come now will you?! We've got enough trouble down here, and definitely don't need any more threats coming from up above. But this satellite story is really weird... I mean, imagine a perfectly quiet morning at a roadside coffee shop with some old faces who couldn't care less about what's going on around them, sitting there sipping their coffees or whatever... and then suddenly: dash! 20k pounds of cosmic wreckage lands in front of them. What a day. Quote
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