Space Junk

[Moonliner]

Old news: 5,000lbs US Satellite fails in orbit and is falling back to earth.

Today's news: The Pentagon is planning to blow it up with a missile before then.

Why?

Originally Posted by Military brain

there's a small but real risk that the tank could rupture, releasing a "toxic gas" over a "populated area," causing a "risk to human life."


The regret factor of not acting clearly outweighed the regret factor of acting

*sniff sniff* What a guy! Trying to keep us all safe like that. I'm sure the idea of all the secret spy toys on that bird landing in say the middle of China had no effect on that decision at all.

[Kevy Baby]

How is that tin-foil hat of yours?

[innerSpaceman]

Gee if only we had that missle shield in place, we wouldn't have to worry about pesky falling satellites.

[blueerica]

So the combination is one, two, three, four, five? That's the stupidest combination I've ever heard in my life! The kind of thing an idiot would have on his luggage!

[BarTopDancer]

I want to go fly above the atmosphere and blow stuff up! That sounds like fun!

[RStar]

I wonder if we'll get the same kind of debris show like at the end of the movie "Independance Day"? That would be cool!

[Not Afraid]

Calling Euro's Sky Lab Crew.......

[LSPoorEeyorick]

OK, I have to admit: every time I see this thread title, I think of a naked astronaut. Check out the space junk!

[Capt Jack]

ok, so correct me if Im wrong but isnt this sort of why they built shuttles in the first place? to go up and retrieve or repair this sort of thing? not that Im not a huge fan of blowin stuff up just cuz...but, as memory serves, there is currently a shuttle in space...space being sorta where this non-op orbiting death object is?

yes?


/shrug

[Alex]

Originally Posted by RStar

I wonder if we'll get the same kind of debris show like at the end of the movie "Independance Day"? That would be cool!

No, it's not nearly big enough and if the explosion is efficient enough most pieces won't be big enough (plus the odds of it reentering where you'd be able to see are relatively small).

More than preventing acquisition of top secret parts (probably not much since I imagine the good stuff is software based and I'd imagine they have ways of "self destructing" that) is the opportunity to practice shooting satellites. If nothing else it is reasonably well timed opportunity to show the Chinese we can still do it too (they shot one a couple years ago).