Anyone else see disaster written all over this??

[BMF Bronco]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23166344

WASHINGTON - President George W. Bush decided to make a first-of-its-kind attempt to use a missile to bring down a broken U.S. spy satellite because of the potential danger to people from its rocket fuel, officials said Thursday.

Deputy National Security Adviser James Jeffries, briefing reporters at the Defense Department, did not say when the attempted intercept would be conducted, but the satellite is expected to hit Earth during the first week of March.

"This is all about trying to reduce the danger to human beings," Jeffries said.

Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the same briefing that the "window of opportunity" for such a shootdown, presumably to be launched from a Navy ship, will open in the next three or four days and last for seven or eight days. He did not say whether the Pentagon has decided on an exact launch date.

Cartwright said this will be an unprecedented effort; he would not say exactly what are the odds of success.

"This is the first time we've used a tactical missile to engage a spacecraft," Cartwright said.

After extensive study and analysis, U.S. officials came to the conclusion that, "we're better off taking the attempt than not," Cartwright said.

He said a Navy missile known as Standard Missile 3 would be fired in an attempt to intercept the satellite just prior to it re-entering Earth's atmosphere. It would be "next to impossible" to hit the satellite after that because of atmospheric disturbances, Cartwright said.

A second goal, he said, is to directly hit the fuel tank in order to minimize the amount of fuel that returns to Earth.

Software associated with the Standard Missile 3 has been modified to enhance the chances of the missile's sensors recognizing that the satellite is its target; he noted that the missile normally is used to shoot down ballistic missiles, not satellites.

"It's a one-time deal," Cartwright said when asked whether the modified Standard Missile 3 should be considered a new U.S. anti-satellite weapon technology.

Cartwright also said that if an initial shootdown attempt fails, a decision will be made whether to take a second shot.

Jeffries said members of Congress were briefed on the plan earlier Thursday and that diplomatic notifications to other countries would be made before the end of the day.


Shooting down a satellite is particularly sensitive because of the controversy surrounding China's anti-satellite test last year, when Beijing shot down one of its defunct weather satellites, drawing immediate criticism from the U.S. and other countries.

A key concern at that time was the debris created by Chinese satellite's destruction — and that will also be a focus now, as the U.S. determines exactly when and under what circumstances to shoot down its errant satellite.

The military will have to choose a time and a location that will avoid to the greatest degree any damage to other satellites in the sky. Also, there is the possibility that large pieces could remain, and either stay in orbit where they can collide with other satellites or possibly fall to Earth.

It is not known where the satellite will hit. But officials familiar with the situation say about half of the 5,000-pound spacecraft is expected to survive its blazing descent through the atmosphere and will scatter debris — some of it potentially hazardous — over several hundred miles. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The satellite is outfitted with thrusters — small engines used to position it in space. They contain the toxic rocket fuel hydrazine, which can cause harm to anyone who contacts it. Officials have said there is about 1,000 pounds of propellent on the satellite.

Known by its military designation US 193, the satellite was launched in December 2006. It lost power and its central computer failed almost immediately afterward, leaving it uncontrollable. It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor

[Gcver2ver3]

i admit...

that does make me a little nervous

[BroncoMan4ever]

Oh my god, Bush firing rockets. this can NOT end well. i sense major catastrophe

[BMF Bronco]

oops sorry Kim Jong-Il for bombing North Korea, we were aiming for a satellite and missed.

[Broncojef]

The Navy fires upon it at a neutral site in the middle of nowhere planet earth...what exactly makes you guys nervous about this? Better to blow it up and out of orbit somewhere out in the middle of the ocean than to have the satellite deorbit over an urban area out of our control.

[BMF Bronco]

see above post

[Atlas]

I'm almost positive the missle is going to miss the satelitte and hit Tehran.

[Beantown Bronco]

The Navy fires upon it at a neutral site in the middle of nowhere planet earth...what exactly makes you guys nervous about this? Better to blow it up and out of orbit somewhere out in the middle of the ocean than to have the satellite deorbit over an urban area out of our control.

I can't tell if this is sarcastic or not.

[brncs_fan]

Known by its military designation US 193, the satellite was launched in December 2006. It lost power and its central computer failed almost immediately afterward, leaving it uncontrollable. It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor

All they needed to say.

[HEAV]

Humans always find new ways to screw the planet...

[ScottXray]

see above post


Note the original post about the standard missile 3 "software being specially modified.". Now how many times has software worked on the first try?

In addition they are going to try to hit the fuel tank...but what if they only puncture it and it starts venting the fuel..thereby changing the orbital parameters and bringing it down earlier..or in a new direction.

Or the fact that they may actually succeed in blowing it up..but sending thousands of pieces of the satellite in new orbits..that may take out other satellites.

I would guess that they have a pretty good idea that its going to come down in a place that they don't want it to...like a populated area, in order for them to go to this extreme.

Hydrazine must be some nasty stuff.

[HEAV]

It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor

20 bucks day's this has something to do with the Patriots cover-up!

[Meck77]

I can't even keep up with all the madness of the federal government anymore with the amount of BS going on at my local level.

I don't know how much that satellite was but you'd think with the tens of millions pissed away on it they could have added a self destruct function as it was failing. Seems like a reason to just blast something out of the sky for practice if you ask me.

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/6834/selfdistructxw4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Broncojef]

Note the original post about the standard missile 3 "software being specially modified.". Now how many times has software worked on the first try?

In addition they are going to try to hit the fuel tank...but what if they only puncture it and it starts venting the fuel..thereby changing the orbital parameters and bringing it down earlier..or in a new direction.

Or the fact that they may actually succeed in blowing it up..but sending thousands of pieces of the satellite in new orbits..that may take out other satellites.

I would guess that they have a pretty good idea that its going to come down in a place that they don't want it to...like a populated area, in order for them to go to this extreme.

Hydrazine must be some nasty stuff.


More than likely they are more worried about the payload and "THINGS" that may fall into other countries hands.

[DomCasual]

I wonder if they've tried CTR-ALT-DELETE?

[rugbythug]

I can't even keep up with all the madness of the federal government anymore with the amount of BS going on at my local level.

I don't know how much that satellite was but you'd think with the tens of millions pissed away on it they could have added a self destruct function as it was failing. Seems like a reason to just blast something out of the sky for practice if you ask me.

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/6834/selfdistructxw4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

If the CPU broke down, how exactly would the self destruct work?

[Beantown Bronco]

I don't know how much that satellite was but you'd think with the tens of millions pissed away on it they could have added a self destruct function as it was failing.

Time to queue Hal......"Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?"

"I know you and Frank were planning to disconnect me, and I'm afraid that's something I cannot allow to happen."

[Meck77]

I stand corrected. It was a several hundred million dollar satellite. http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30200-1305540,00.html

A few weeks ago they said that it would burn up. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22857051/


Rugby...With a several hundred million dollar budget don't you think they could have a back up CPU? Back up power?

My buddies and I gutted and remodeled a 1987 MCI bus in 100 days while we were drinking beer. We didn't even have a plan when we started on day one. I would think Lockhead Martin could figure out a way to produce a self destruct mechanism if they had planned for it or were instructed to do so.

Of1 has a CPU and three power sources. If OF1 would have need a fourth power system and another CPU for a self destruct function we could have easily added one or 12 other options.

If the CPU broke down, how exactly would the self destruct work?

[Taco John]

oops sorry Kim Jong-Il for bombing North Korea, we were aiming for a satellite and missed.


Let's not bring the greatest golfer in the history of the world into this...

[yavoon]

now now ppl, come on, this is the decider we're talking about here.

[Kaylore]

If it even misses at all it will not be a problem. They can hit another missile with missile right now. I find it unlikely they will miss hitting a satellite.

[DenverBroncosJM]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23166344
Known by its military designation US 193, the satellite was launched in December 2006. It lost power and its central computer failed almost immediately afterward, leaving it uncontrollable. It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor


I got to the final part before I could figure out why they are so worried about this. If I had to take a guess this is the main reason they want to destroy this thing.

EDit: Should have read everyone else responses before posting! Guess Im not the only one with a tin foil hat!

[Spider]

Yes I do ......... Bush jr with a BB gun worries the hell out of me . but then you guys already knew my answer ;D

[BMF Bronco]

If it even misses at all it will not be a problem. They can hit another missile with missile right now. I find it unlikely they will miss hitting a satellite.

So you're saying if we miss, we can just fire another missle to hit the initial missile, as easy as a whistle?

[BroncoMan4ever]

I wonder if they've tried CTR-ALT-DELETE?

This is the BUSH administration nothing is setlled easily. He just wants to blow **** up

[Orange_Beard]

I see a dumb**** sitting on the hood of a pick-up, drinkin' beer waitin' for the big furwurx show.

[Smiling Assassin27]

i see this guy running the missiles op...

http://www.officiallyscrewed.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/marvinmartian.jpg

[Derger_Louis]

So you're saying if we miss, we can just fire another missle to hit the initial missile, as easy as a whistle?

Yes.

[Smiling Assassin27]

I see a dumb**** sitting on the hood of a pick-up, drinkin' beer waitin' for the big furwurx show.

spider drinks vodka, don't he?

[epicSocialism4tw]

I'm almost positive the missle is going to miss the satelitte and hit Tehran.

Precisely. Hilarious!

[TomServo]

hey the chinese hit a satellite with a missile. the freakin chinese.

[Meck77]

hey the chinese hit a satellite with a missile. the freakin chinese.

And that right there is why I think Bush wants to do it. yee haww!

[Crushaholic]

If it's going to be a danger to humans on Earth, definitely blow it up. However, I agree with Meck that it should have had some sort of self-destruct mechanism.

[epicSocialism4tw]

hey the chinese hit a satellite with a missile. the freakin chinese.

Arent they good at math?

[bombquixote]

Oh my god, Bush firing rockets. this can NOT end well. i sense major catastrophe

Pull!

[cutthemdown]

i think thoust do protest too much.

[Broncojef]

hey the chinese hit a satellite with a missile. the freakin chinese.

Chinese are about 25 years late to that party.

[Dudeskey]

The Navy fires upon it at a neutral site in the middle of nowhere planet earth...what exactly makes you guys nervous about this?

debris in orbit... it could hit another sattellite and knock out a feed to my tv show or something ;D

[Dean]

What a waste of money. When we have a secret weapon that has been held in reserve until now.

I haven't heard much out of Dick Cheney recently; he must not be too busy. Send him up with his shotgun. From what I hear he is deadly.ROFL!

[theAPAOps5]

I wonder if they've tried CTR-ALT-DELETE?

:spit:

Its probably windows based software so they can use Windows XP to restore from a restore point.

[BroncoBuff]

Let's put Hixon on the problem.

[rugbythug]

They should have use Fat32 I am guessing when the chinesse set the hard drive to share the ntsf currupted. Well at least that is what happend to mine.

[Dudeskey]

What a waste of money. When we have a secret weapon that has been held in reserve until now.

I haven't heard much out of Dick Cheney recently; he must not be too busy. Send him up with his shotgun. From what I hear he is deadly.ROFL!

Or you could catapult Jimmy Johnson/ Sean Hannity, or Marc Crawford (take your pick) head first into the sattellite... Their hair should be strong enough to destroy it.

[TomServo]

Arent they good at math?

very good. but everything they know about missiles they got from Loral back in the clinton adm.
if this thing would come down over a city with a couple hundred pounds of hydrazine, guess who gets blamed?
anyway good thing this pos sat. wasnt a dish or direct satellite. not as much HD capacity to work with, then some pple might really be pssed.

[theAPAOps5]

This sounds like a job for John Basedow. If you don't know who that is google him. You will know exactly what I mean.

[gunns]

If it even misses at all it will not be a problem. They can hit another missile with missile right now. I find it unlikely they will miss hitting a satellite.

You sound like a politician.

I don't feel right about anything that Bush decides.

[Spider]

This sounds like a job for John Basedow. If you don't know who that is google him. You will know exactly what I mean.

If I did that wouldnt be a sin and lead to normal people sleeping with animals ?

[Punisher]

Humans always find new ways to screw the planet...

Its sad but true :thanku: But that satellite is going down!!Hope to see this on youtube !Booya!

[TexanBob]

hey the chinese hit a satellite with a missile. the freakin chinese.

Speaking of firing mistakes, remember when Clinton accidentally bombed the Chinese embassy in Kosovo? There was tension for a few days until the Chinese realised that Clinton was on their team.

[yerner]

I'm having flashes of a post WWIII landscape and me in a very cool looking Mad Max outfit with long flowing hair..lets do it.

[Los Broncos]

I see a dumb**** sitting on the hood of a pick-up, drinkin' beer waitin' for the big furwurx show.

:rofl:

[DomCasual]

debris in orbit... it could hit another sattellite and knock out a feed to my tv show or something ;D

With my luck, it would hit the NFL Sunday Ticket satellite.

Now that you bring up that possibility, it makes me think a little harder about this. I say fire the missile!

[rugbythug]

If china had not just done this do you think we would still be shooting it out of the sky?

[TheDave]

Statistically speaking, Bushii has mad 1,367 bad decisions in a row... odds are he is going to be right eventually.

Lets hope for the best...

[Paladin]

The h3ll of it is, you are going to pay for the rocket.......

I hope all the congress critters are in the line of fire..........

[Killericon]

"Oh yeah, well mine's THIS big!"

[fdf]

i admit...

that does make me a little nervous

Consider the alternative. It's going to smash into something somewhere. It's all a question of where and how big the pieces are.

The scientists who work for the Navy are top flight. It may still cause big problems. But we will only know how it comes out in retrospect. If the simulations show that the odds of a good result are improved by using the missle, then they should use it. Even though they will be blamed for any problems that occur by folks with 20/20 hindsight.

[STBumpkin]

What a waste of money. When we have a secret weapon that has been held in reserve until now.

What secret weapon? The SM-3 is just the newest mod of the Navy's anti-aircraft/anti-missile weapon. The SM-1 and SM-2 have been around since the 70's and the SM-3 has been in use for at least 5 years. It is not a secret weapon, simply a modified SAM.

This is a good real world reason to test a technology we have obviously been working on for years. We have to show china that we have a capability at least equal to theirs.

[Dedhed]

This is clearly a ploy to try to garner support for Bushy's retarded Missile defense system.

[TomServo]

This is clearly a ploy to try to garner support for Bushy's retarded Missile defense system.

if it was so retarded putin wouldnt be throwing a fit over their deployment in europe. and its not bushes missile defense system it the U.S.'s
like i said earlier if this thing came down over a populated area with hundreds of pounds of hydrazine, who would be the first to scream "why didnt bushy do something"?

[TomServo]

"Oh yeah, well mine's THIS big!"

well if it was 1945 and you were training to invade okinawa i bet you wouldnt have complained about the size of the atomic bomb.

[TomServo]

see the satellite
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080215/sc_space/seethefallingspysatellite

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Let's not bring the greatest golfer in the history of the world into this...

ROFL! LOL Ha! :notworthy

[TDmvp]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoatmospheric_Kill_Vehicle

if i say anymore i may be deported or killed ....

[Bronco_Beerslug]

If it even misses at all it will not be a problem. They can hit another missile with missile right now. I find it unlikely they will miss hitting a satellite.We're talking about outer space not Bush's contrived missile defense test results.

[TallyBronco]

Once again the public school illiterates who form a sizable minority of posters on this BBS decide to turn a football board into a forum for communicating political "opinions" that show no more intelligence or knowledge than locker-room trash talk (which can be entertaining at least).

I would suggest getting past comic-book caricatures of politics and politicians, but that would entail the hard work of thinking, and I don't think you're prepared for that.

[Spider]

Once again the public school illiterates who form a sizable minority of posters on this BBS decide to turn a football board into a forum for communicating political "opinions" that show no more intelligence or knowledge than locker-room trash talk (which can be entertaining at least).

I would suggest getting past comic-book caricatures of politics and politicians, but that would entail the hard work of thinking, and I don't think you're prepared for that.

um would a we are sorry help ? if not **** off

[TomServo]

um would a we are sorry help ? if not **** off

doesnt matter to me but all the dumbasses referring to a decades old missile defense system as Bushes just tells me they hate bush more than they want the program to actually work.
i detested clinton but i took no pleasure when we bombed the crap out of the chinese in the balkans thing.

[PaintballCLE]

I think they should wait and see where its going to hit......if its headed for the black hole in oakland......then just leave it alone hahahahahahaha

[Meck77]

Ok I didn't realize the goal was to shoot it down once it had left "space". I didn't consider the ramifications of having random space junk floating around in orbit. The plan is to shoot the satellite down as it enters our atmosphere thus reducing space debris that could harm other satellites.

I still question whether firing rockets into space is the best option going forward rather than planning for some type of self destruct mechanism though.

This article explains things much more clearly.

http://www.space.com/news/080214-sn-destroy-spysat.html

[Spider]

doesnt matter to me but all the dumbasses referring to a decades old missile defense system as Bushes just tells me they hate bush more than they want the program to actually work.
i detested clinton but i took no pleasure when we bombed the crap out of the chinese in the balkans thing.

Huh .I thought Shock and awe was the way to go .......I took it As people referring to the missile defense system being in Bush's control , I still have yet to read anyone say Bush invented the damn thing , perhaps you could point this out ? ....I havent even read the article .......Bush has surrounded himself with very incompetent people , you cant blame people for freaking out ......

[orinjkrush]

there are probably ulterior motives in shooting. (testing systems...demonstrating capabilities...etc.) it may not work. shooting stars are hard to hit, people. all in all....let her fly! maybe we'll be lucky and the damn thing will come down on somebody bad. (like KC or SD or the artist formerly known as the artist formerly known as)

[TomServo]

so when we bombed the chinese it was an honost mistake. but when we try to shoot a misslie down to blow up our own mistske its bushes fault?

[TomServo]

This is clearly a ploy to try to garner support for Bushy's retarded Missile defense system.
just one example.
<!-- / message -->

[Spider]

so when we bombed the chinese it was an honost mistake. but when we try to shoot a misslie down to blow up our own mistske its bushes fault?
why are you comparing something that happened in a war zone , to shooting something out of space ? Look your boy Bush brought all this on to himself , the stupid ****er surrounded himself with Idiots .....
Name 1 thing Bush has set out ot do that he has done right ....... He was a massive failure in the national guard , he was a failure in the oil business , he was a failure in Baseball , and he has been a failure as president ........Perhaps being a failure is acceptable to you ........

[That One Guy]

why are you comparing something that happened in a war zone , to shooting something out of space ? Look your boy Bush brought all this on to himself , the stupid ****er surrounded himself with Idiots .....
Name 1 thing Bush has set out ot do that he has done right ....... He was a massive failure in the national guard , he was a failure in the oil business , he was a failure in Baseball , and he has been a failure as president ........Perhaps being a failure is acceptable to you ........

While he is quite possibly retarded, I'd still give up my day job to be in his shoes. He must've done SOMETHING right along the way. Just sayin...

[Spider]

While he is quite possibly retarded, I'd still give up my day job to be in his shoes. He must've done SOMETHING right along the way. Just sayin...

LOL dont confuse money and privilage with doing something right .......

[Dedhed]

if it was so retarded putin wouldnt be throwing a fit over their deployment in europe. and its not bushes missile defense system it the U.S.'s
like i said earlier if this thing came down over a populated area with hundreds of pounds of hydrazine, who would be the first to scream "why didnt bushy do something"?

If Bush has shown anything it's an uncanny ability to take action when contemplation is needed, and to sit idle when action is called for. I don't see this being any different.

[DenverBrit]

Bush & disaster go together like hand & glove. :clown:
Shooting down a satellite would be only a mini-disaster for this administration.
Assuming they hit it. ROFL!

[cutthemdown]

doesnt matter to me but all the dumbasses referring to a decades old missile defense system as Bushes just tells me they hate bush more than they want the program to actually work.
i detested clinton but i took no pleasure when we bombed the crap out of the chinese in the balkans thing.

why? he was helping stop ethnic cleansing. Clinton has his way, Bush has a more heavy hand, but neither of them have taken military action on countries or leaders that didn't deserve it.

[cutthemdown]

you think the Navy will miss? Cmon people were is your nationalism? The only reason we are doing this is to proove we can. No way we miss!!!!!! The powers that be have been trying to figure out a way to show we can do this without calling it a test. This errant sattelite give them the perfect chance. It's big, and they know right were it is. If you think they miss that you are crazy.

[cutthemdown]

And that right there is why I think Bush wants to do it. yee haww!

not Bush, the military. Bush I doubt thought much about it until he was briefed on it.

[cutthemdown]

If it's going to be a danger to humans on Earth, definitely blow it up. However, I agree with Meck that it should have had some sort of self-destruct mechanism.

I'm sure there is a reason that isn't in the design. Although this thing is big and heavy I think spacecraft are still cramped for room when it comes to gear and fuel. Everything is calculated precisely. I doubt they have room for explosives and equipment for a self destruct.

[cutthemdown]

My dad worked on things that went into space and the amount of work and engineering that go into it is staggering. Unless you have a degree in engineering or physics you won't understand. I can't say for sure but I would guess that self destruct mechanisms etc are just not worth it because of the added lbs and space needed for other equipment.

Besides why spend money on a self destruct when chances are it won't be needed. It's not like we have this problem every yr. To add self destruct to every military, CIA sattelite is probably more expensive then the millions it will cost to shoot a few down here and there.

[Bronx33]

I'm sure there is a reason that isn't in the design. Although this thing is big and heavy I think spacecraft are still cramped for room when it comes to gear and fuel. Everything is calculated precisely. I doubt they have room for explosives and equipment for a self destruct.


It really doesn't take much room and well it's a bomb anyways so no extra exposives would be needed, just a radio transmitted spark in the right place will do or even 1/8 pound of c4 maybe less.

[Spider]

you think the Navy will miss? Cmon people were is your nationalism? The only reason we are doing this is to proove we can. No way we miss!!!!!! The powers that be have been trying to figure out a way to show we can do this without calling it a test. This errant sattelite give them the perfect chance. It's big, and they know right were it is. If you think they miss that you are crazy.

Pom Poms come with this ? Under Bush's control
We cant catch 1- 6 foot 5 Arab living in a cave .......

[cutthemdown]

It really doesn't take much room and well it's a bomb anyways so no extra exposives would be needed, just a radio transmitted spark in the right place will do or even 1/8 pound of c4 maybe less.

do you even know if c4 works in space? how about after being bombarded by particles of radiation for 10-15 yrs. Going from freezing to burning hot as it circles earth. Not too mention we have to make sure no one else can trigger it. There is a ton of things to think about. Nothing you add to a spacecraft is easy people especially something as complicated as a self destruct for 100 million dollar spacecraft.

[cutthemdown]

Pom Poms come with this ? Under Bush's control
We cant catch 1- 6 foot 5 Arab living in a cave .......

how about a bet?

[Spider]

how about a bet?

**** off ..seriously ...... I dont want a damn thing to do with you ....

[cutthemdown]

making this have anything to do with Bush is a reach. This has military written all over it. They want to show China and Russia who the real boss is when it comes to space. I woulnd't even be surprised if this was all planned out and this spacecraft was designed and launched to be shot down. It's probably harmless and right now they are laughing at how easy we are all to fool.

[cutthemdown]

**** off ..seriously ...... I dont want a damn thing to do with you ....

then why do you quote me all the time?

[Spider]

making this have anything to do with Bush is a reach. This has military written all over it. They want to show China and Russia who the real boss is when it comes to space. I woulnd't even be surprised if this was all planned out and this spacecraft was designed and launched to be shot down. It's probably harmless and right now they are laughing at how easy we are all to fool.

And nabbing bin Laden was what ? work for the girlscouts ?

[Bronx33]

do you even know if c4 works in space? how about after being bombarded by particles of radiation for 10-15 yrs. Going from freezing to burning hot as it circles earth. Not too mention we have to make sure no one else can trigger it. There is a ton of things to think about. Nothing you add to a spacecraft is easy people especially something as complicated as a self destruct for 100 million dollar spacecraft.

Nothings perfect and the c4 was just a (thought) just saying how little it would take but a radio controlled blasting cap in a fuel cell would be effective (just sayin) the self destruct isn't that complicated is it 100% hell i don't know but iam sure it's on there somewhere in some capacity. Also some destruct systems are triggered by the onboard computer if the missle were to go off course in anyway so no signal is required.

[Spider]

then why do you quote me all the time?
um you are an Idiot ? ..... and I love using your tripe so other right wingers can see how stupid some of you are ....... Make no mistake ****er , I dont like you , if we ever met in person , all you would see is the back of my hand ....

[cutthemdown]

Shooting down this satelite is easier then finding a Bin Laden Spider. Great truck driver logic there dip****. Lay off the meth and hookers at the trucks stops and get your life back together.

[cutthemdown]

And nabbing bin Laden was what ? work for the girlscouts ?

I'm not sure why I would have to tell you this. It's so obvious. But this doesn't have anything to do with Bin Laden. This has to do with China and Russia.

[Spider]

Shooting down this satelite is easier then finding a Bin Laden Spider. Great truck driver logic there dip****. Lay off the meth and hookers at the trucks stops and get your life back together.

Nice excuse **** wad .....

[Spider]

I'm not sure why I would have to tell you this. It's so obvious. But this doesn't have anything to do with Bin Laden. This has to do with China and Russia.

Just as I thought , just finding one of Bush's accomplishments is tough ...

[cutthemdown]

um you are an Idiot ? ..... and I love using your tripe so other right wingers can see how stupid some of you are ....... Make no mistake ****er , I dont like you , if we ever met in person , all you would see is the back of my hand ....

Here you go with your meaningless threats again. Make no mistake I am not the least bit worried or scared. I am fully capable of handling myself mr interent tough guy.

Here's to you Mr make threats and never carry them out interent tough guy. How many people have you said crap like this to, and how many have you carried out? I'd guess 30 times you have made threats now and not one piece of action. Hell you would think Bush would be your best friend MR INACTION and not follow through on a damn thing.

[Spider]

Here you go with your meaningless threats again. Make no mistake I am not the least bit worried or scared. I am fully capable of handling myself mr interent tough guy.

Here's to you Mr make threats and never carry them out interent tough guy. How many people have you said crap like this to, and how many have you carried out? I'd guess 30 times you have made threats now and not one piece of action. Hell you would think Bush would be your best friend MR INACTION and not follow through on a damn thing.

thought so ....... so far you are the only one I have ever said I would smack , normaly I let others make the threat , then I follow through with it , I tried to meet Broncosoja in Texas , but he wouldnt show .......

[cutthemdown]

Nothings perfect and the c4 was just a (thought) just saying how little it would take but a radio controlled blasting cap in a fuel cell would be effective (just sayin) the self destruct isn't that complicated is it 100% hell i don't know but iam sure it's on there somewhere in some capacity. Also some destruct systems are triggered by the onboard computer if the missle were to go off course in anyway so no signal is required.

I'm just saying I watched my dad work for years designing stuff for outer space. They calculate lbs down to the grams for things like fuel, components etc. I could see a self destruct simply not worth it because it isn't needed. I'm not saying these engineers could not do it. They could they are very smart people. I'm saying I feel they probably ruled it out to put on another camera for instance. Or to put in another computer or more fuel so it fly's longer. I don't know though I'm just giving my opinion.

I just remember my dad talking to me a lot about what types of thing will work in space and what won't. The extreme hot to cold and radiation really play havoc on electronics.

[cutthemdown]

Or Bronx the whole satelite was intended to be shot down and we are all being duped. I still think that is very likely. For all we know that satelite is a hunk of empty metal and govt is lying about it being sophisticated. This could all be a plot to test shooting down something in space, without Russia being able to say it was a test.

[Bronx33]

I'm just saying I watched my dad work for years designing stuff for outer space. They calculate lbs down to the grams for things like fuel, components etc. I could see a self destruct simply not worth it because it isn't needed. I'm not saying these engineers could not do it. They could they are very smart people. I'm saying I feel they probably ruled it out to put on another camera for instance. Or to put in another computer or more fuel so it fly's longer. I don't know though I'm just giving my opinion.

I just remember my dad talking to me a lot about what types of thing will work in space and what won't. The extreme hot to cold and radiation really play havoc on electronics.


My old man was an engineer at lockheed martin as well he worked on viking, titan missles ect ect ( i hear ya) i just dought they would just let a miss plummet back to earth or even float around waiting bump into something down the road.

[cutthemdown]

I would think the missile is small enough to where if it misses it will fall back through atmosphere and burn up. My gut tells me American military has a reason for doing this and knows they aren't going to miss. That satelite probably has a homing device in it or something. Or maybe I just read to many Tom Clancy books.

[cutthemdown]

My old man was an engineer at lockheed martin as well he worked on viking, titan missles ect ect ( i hear ya) i just dought they would just let a miss plummet back to earth or even float around waiting bump into something down the road.

We will see in the next few days I guess.

[Bronx33]

I would think the missile is small enough to where if it misses it will fall back through atmosphere and burn up. My gut tells me American military has a reason for doing this and knows they aren't going to miss. That satelite probably has a homing device in it or something. Or maybe I just read to many Tom Clancy books.


This could also be a easy excuse to flex the military muscle that's probably a major reason i would bet with countries working on getting or already having nukes.

[TDmvp]

I would think the missile is small enough to where if it misses it will fall back through atmosphere and burn up. My gut tells me American military has a reason for doing this and knows they aren't going to miss. That satelite probably has a homing device in it or something. Or maybe I just read to many Tom Clancy books.



i have a friend with some great insight to this ,I'd tell you more but i'd be killed LOL .... this is like no big deal , and is being made out to be somethings by our own stupidness , bloggers , conspiracy nuts , and Ron Paul fans heheh "sorry " we have been shooting stuff down like this for like 5 + years , this is just the first time the spot light has been on it , most likely cause China just did it .. it is nothing really new , news worthy ....

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/44/GMD_kill_vehicle_ift101.jpg/150px-GMD_kill_vehicle_ift101.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exoatmospheric_Kill_Vehicle
http://www.raytheon.com/products/ekv/

[elsid13]

i have a friend with some great insight to this ,I'd tell you more but i'd be killed LOL .... this is like no big deal , and is being made out to be somethings by our own stupidness , bloggers , conspiracy nuts , and Ron Paul fans heheh "sorry " we have been shooting stuff down like this for like 5 + years , this is just the first time the spot light has been on it , most likely cause China just did it .. it is nothing really new , news worthy ....



Anytime you shoot live ordinance there is a chance that things will **** up, especial on crash program (supposed the planning started in early Jan) . The key will be the system on Aegis getting a good lock on satellite in live environment

[cutthemdown]

The race in space is back on people!!!!!!!!!!!! All that helium-3 on the moon is waiting.

[bronco militia]

Navy Missile Hits Spy Satellite

Feb 20 11:18 PM US/Eastern
By ROBERT BURNS
AP Military Writer 1 Comments


WASHINGTON (AP) - A missile launched from a Navy ship struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, the Pentagon said.
It was not clear whether the operation succeeded in its main goal of destroying a tank aboard the satellite that carried a toxic fuel that U.S. officials said could pose a hazard to humans if it landed in a populated area.

"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours," the Pentagon said in a written statement.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UUFO9G0&show_article=1

[cutthemdown]

So does anyone that thought this wouldn't be like taking candy from a baby feel silly now? Our space technology and missile technology is still ahead of the world. We will not let China catch us. I see this as a message that if China thinks what they did was a big deal they were wrong.

Props to the military for pulling off a test and making it look like they did the world a favor.

[elsid13]

complete story

http://l.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/us/nws/p/ap_logo_106.png
Navy scores direct hit on spy satellite

<!-- END HEADLINE --><!-- BEGIN STORY BODY -->By ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writers1 hour, 22 minutes ago


A U.S. Navy cruiser blasted a disabled spy satellite with a pinpoint missile strike that achieved the main mission of exploding a tank of toxic fuel 130 miles above the Pacific Ocean, defense officials said.
Destroying the satellite's onboard tank of about 1,000 pounds of hydrazine fuel was the primary goal, and a senior defense official close to the mission said Thursday that it appears the tank was destroyed, and the strike with a specially designed missile was a complete success.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates ordered the shootdown, which came late Wednesday as he began an eight-day, around-the-world trip on which he likely will face questions about the mission.
The elaborate intercept may trigger worries from some international leaders, who could see it as a thinly disguised attempt to test an anti-satellite weapon — one that could take out other nation's orbiting communications and spy spacecraft.
Within hours of the reported success, China said it was on the alert for possible harmful fallout from the shootdown and urged Washington to promptly release data on the action.
"China is continuously following closely the possible harm caused by the U.S. action to outer space security and relevant countries," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at news conference in Beijing. "China requests the U.S. to fulfill its international obligations in real earnest and provide to the international community necessary information and relevant data in a timely and prompt way so that relevant countries can take precautions."
While Pentagon officials stressed that the satellite strike was a one-time incident, it certainly will spin off massive amounts of data and research that can be studied by the military as it works to improve its missile defense technologies.
Officials had expressed cautious optimism that the missile would hit the bus-sized satellite, but they were less certain of hitting the smaller, more worrisome fuel tank.
In a statement released after the satellite was shot, the Pentagon said, "Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours." But a short time later, several defense officials close to the situation said it appeared the fuel tank was hit. One said observers saw what appeared to be an explosion. Those officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the results had not been formally documented at the time they spoke.
Because the satellite was orbiting at a relatively low altitude at the time it was hit by the missile, debris will begin to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere immediately, the Pentagon statement said.
"Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24-48 hours and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days," it said.
Gates approved the missile launch at about 1:40 p.m. EST, while en route from Washington to Hawaii. Within nine hours — at 10:26 p.m. EST — the USS Lake Erie, fired the SM-3 missile originally designed to knock down incoming missiles rather than orbiting satellites.
It hit the satellite about three minutes later as the spacecraft traveled in polar orbit at more than 17,000 mph.
The Lake Erie and two other Navy warships, as well as the missile and other components, were modified in a hurry-up project started in January. The missile alone cost nearly $10 million, and officials estimated that the total cost of the project was at least $30 million.
The operation was so extraordinary, with such intense international publicity and political ramifications, that Gates — not a military commander down the chain of command — made the decision to pull the trigger.
Gates had arrived in Hawaii less than two hours before the missile was launched. His press secretary, Geoff Morrell, said Gates had a conference call during his flight with Air Force Gen. Kevin Chilton, head of Strategic Command, and Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They told him that "the conditions were ripe for an attempt, and that is when the secretary gave the go-ahead to take the shot, and wished them good luck," Morrell said.
At 10:35 p.m. EST, Gates spoke to both generals again and "was informed that the mission was a success, that the missile had intercepted the decaying satellite, and the secretary was obviously very pleased to learn that," said Morrell.

Adm. Timothy J. Keating, chief of U.S. Pacific Command, told reporters shortly before the strike that he made calls to a number of international leaders to alert them to the mission. He said none said they had concerns, but he acknowledged he did not speak to the Chinese.
China and Russia both expressed concerns about the shootdown in advance, saying it could harm security in outer space.
The government organized hazardous materials teams, under the code name "Burnt Frost," to be flown to the site of any dangerous or otherwise sensitive debris that might land in the United States or elsewhere.
Also, six federal response groups regularly positioned across the country by the Federal Emergency Management Agency were alerted but had not been activated Wednesday, FEMA spokesman James McIntyre said before the missile launch. "These are purely precautionary and preparedness actions only," he said.
President Bush approved the shootdown mission last week, deciding it was important to destroy the toxic hydrazine fuel to prevent any possible injuries if the satellite came down in a populated area.
The three-stage Navy missile used for the mission has chalked up a high rate of success in a series of tests since 2002, in each case targeting a short- or medium-range ballistic missile, never a satellite. Modifications to the missile for the mission were completed in a matter of weeks, and Navy officials said the changes would be reversed once this satellite was down.
The government issued notices to aviators and mariners to remain clear of a section of the Pacific Ocean beginning at 10:30 p.m. EST Wednesday.
Having lost power shortly after it reached orbit in late 2006, the satellite was out of control and well below the altitude of a normal satellite. The Pentagon determined it should hit it with the missile just before it re-entered Earth's atmosphere, to minimize the amount of debris that would remain in space.
Left alone, the satellite would have hit Earth during the first week of March. About half of the 5,000-pound spacecraft was expected to survive its blazing descent through the atmosphere and would have scattered debris over several hundred miles.
___ Robert Burns reported from Washington, Lolita C. Baldor from Honolulu. Pauline Jelinek in Washington contributed to this

[Smiling Assassin27]

Bingo Bango...Gentleman, that's how we do that....

[uk bronco]

Hydrazine is highly toxic and dangerously unstable, especially in the anhydrous (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhydrous) form. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
Symptoms of acute (short-term) exposure to high levels of hydrazine may include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, dizziness, headache, nausea, pulmonary edema (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_edema), seizures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seizures), coma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coma) in humans. Acute exposure can also damage the liver (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver), kidneys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidneys), and central nervous system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_nervous_system). The liquid is corrosive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corrosive) and may produce dermatitis (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatitis) from skin contact in humans and animals. Effects to the lungs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lungs), liver, spleen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spleen), and thyroid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thyroid) have been reported in animals chronically exposed to hydrazine via inhalation. Increased incidences of lung, nasal cavity, and liver tumors have been observed in rodents exposed to hydrazine.<SUP class=reference id=_ref-EPA_0>[17] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrazine#_note-EPA)</SUP>
Only one human is known to have died from exposure to hydrazine hydrate.

sounds well nasty

[fdf]

So does anyone that thought this wouldn't be like taking candy from a baby feel silly now? Our space technology and missile technology is still ahead of the world. We will not let China catch us. I see this as a message that if China thinks what they did was a big deal they were wrong.

Props to the military for pulling off a test and making it look like they did the world a favor.

There's a bunch of folks in the country who wanted the launch to fail. Or better yet, fail and then have the remains of the missile fall in a crowded city (not, of course, anywhere around them). And, I understand their logic. They are mired in the cold war thinking that defending our country and our soldiers and sailors against missiles is BAD. I don't understand their thinking. But the notion that our cities and our soldiers and sailors should be sitting-ducks for every dictator with a missile is deeply ingrained in the left's thinking.

But given that premise, they have, of course, been rooting for twenty years for failure every time missile defense is tested. Everytime the test is successful, they then do their best to denigrate the result. So of late, they have been doing a lot of denigrating.

This is a big success. For $30 million in software tweaks, we just tested our Low-Earth-Orbit, ASAT capability. The Aegis, SM-3 missile defense system turns out to be increasingly capable and flexible. That it worked makes the calculations of bad guys thinking about starting a war much more complicated.