* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: NRO_L-21 Launch

Blobrana · L

A plan by the US government to shoot down an out-of-control spy satellite has been described as a cynical tit-for-tat move in response to China doing the same last year. Scientists and arms-control experts fear that the operation will create damaging debris and weaken international efforts to ban space weaponry.

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Blobrana · L

US Spy Satellite To Be Shot Down By Navy

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The US President has ordered the US Navy to shoot down a damaged spy satellite that will be entering the earths atmosphere at either the end of February or the beginning of March. The spy satellite in question is an advanced next generation satellite that was launch with a Delta II rocket in late 2006. After the satellite was launched it immediately began to malfunction and has never been operational, or controllable. The decision to bring it down with missiles is based on several concerns.

1. Human Health & Safety: The damaged satellite might reenter orbit with hundreds of gallons of rocket fuel that is made of Hydrazine. Hydrazine has an ammonia like effect on the respiratory system.
2. Missile Defence Test/Demonstration: The launch platform for this is a part of the US missile defence system that has not received allot of support from congress. It would be a demonstration of the missile defence system capabilities.

Blobrana · L

Less than a month ago, White House officials said a falling spy satellite would likely pose little threat to humans but on Thursday, the Pentagon said President Bush himself approved an unorthodox plan to destroy the satellite with a missile strike.
What could warrant such a change of heart? It's the realisation that the spacecraft could be bringing a toxic iceberg back down to Earth.
Pentagon officials said it was that safety concern, rather than the intention to test a potential anti-satellite weapon, which led them to develop the plan for a missile intercept.

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Blobrana · L

The 'shot' -- thats what Ambassador James Jeffrey called the decision to use an an Aegis SM-3 to try to shoot down satellite USA 193 in the next 3-12 days.

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Blobrana · L

Initially the administration believed that the danger from the falling satellite did not pose a large problem, but decided it was best to shoot it down when experts decided that the unused hydrazine did pose a danger.
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Blobrana · L

The US military is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite due to crash land on Earth in the next few weeks, US news agency AP reports.

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Blobrana · L

When the government announced last month that a top-secret spy satellite would, in the next few months, come falling out of the sky, American officials said there was little risk to people because satellites fall out of orbit fairly frequently and much of the planet is covered by oceans.
But they said precious little about the satellite itself.

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It should be noted that some orbital information on the satellite was probably leaked by intention, by the National Reconnaissance Office.

Blobrana · L

Predicted satellite position at 6:50 UT, Feb 1st, 2008.

Expand (55kb, 630 x 390)

Magnitude 4.8 v
Orbit 273 x 271 km, inc 58.5 deg.

Blobrana · L

Expand (63kb, 630 x 390)

Position of the NRO_L-21 spy satellite at 12:25 UT, 31st January 1008
(the ground track is plotted at 1-minute intervals)

Orbit 274 x 270 km, inclination 58.5 deg.