Spy satellite heading for Earth

mercurial

mercurial

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http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_2260243,00.html

Washington - An out-of-control United States spy satellite is expected to crash to Earth in late February or early March, said the Pentagon on Monday without specifying where it might land.

Department of Defence spokesperson Bryan Whitman said the satellite, which has lost power, would land "over the next several weeks... late February, early March time-frame".

"We are aware of it, we are monitoring it," he told reporters, declining to give any more details about the satellite or say where it might strike.

The satellite's impending fall from orbit has given rise to worries that it might leak out highly toxic substances.

The New York Times cited satellite monitoring experts who believe it is an experimental imagery satellite launched in 2006.

Satellites manoeuvred in space

The United States has a thick web of billion-dollar satellites monitoring the Earth, some including high-powered telescopes or radars, with the capability to zoom in and help launch precision strikes on enemy targets.

Whitman said: "We track all man-made objects that are orbiting the Earth.

"Since we've been in the business of doing that - for 50 years or so - there have been more than 17 000 man-made objects that have re-entered the Earth's atmosphere."

Spy satellites are frequently manoeuvred in space, in relatively low orbit, to meet military surveillance needs, requiring them to be tanked up with highly toxic hydrazine fuel, according to specialists.

Hydrazine is harmful to the human central nervous system and can be fatal in big doses. However, it breaks down quickly in heat and ultra-violet light, said the French security agency, Ineris, in a report.

Specialists cited in the New York Times said the hydrazine would burn off if the fuel tank broke, as was likely, when re-entering the atmosphere.
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I bet ICASA's jammer took it out. :eek:

I hope they plan on narrowing down the crash area a bit!
 
better not stike in jhb. we have enough potholes already, thank you nasa.

how can they not know where it will hit? surely they have many clever people working there.
 
Heads up...the sky is falling! :)

I'll bet ICASA wanted to use the satellite to block that new free2air thingy that they're so **** scared of.
 
Hope it lands spectacularly on one of the following targets :

1. Eskom HQ
2. Telkom HQ
3. !casa HQ
4. Parliament

:D
 
rvanwyk said:
better not stike in jhb. we have enough potholes already, thank you nasa.

how can they not know where it will hit? surely they have many clever people working there.
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Probably because they're unsure of the exact time re-entry is expected, and how much of it will burn up during re-entry. It's out of control, which means their is no way to manage it's path.
 
With all this sh^t thats happening...Govt Corruption, Country Crumblinng, Escom Powerless, KZN Serial Killer, Asteroid collision, Spy Sat hitting Earth....BROTHER!!!..this must be the ARMAGEDON!!! :eek:
 
Robin Hood said:
Far as i can say it's not, as it seems that this specific Sat were used for Spying...Apparently the ones that use Nucllear are the ones which goes beyond the sun...
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Actually the satellites using nuclear reactors operate in low earth orbit. RORSAT reconnasaince satelights operate at around 250kms. About the same as the space shuttle IIRC

Other satellites ( even Apollo) carry RTGs which could be a risk on re entry.
 
halicon said:
there are no nuclear powered satellites, however there are some with nuclear warheads.
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There are no nuclear warheads in earth orbit.

And yes, some satellites do have small nuclear thermal generators, especially deep space probes. Military sats use gool ol' solar panels, though. This satellite is in all probability USA-193 that was orbited in 2006 by a USAF Delta lanucher. If so, that thing weighs only about 5 tons, which is minuscle when compared to Skylab and Mir that both went down without incident. This story is all hype. Since 1957, not a single person has ever been hurt by decaying orbital debris.
 
AF General: Spy Satellite Could Hit US

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8UG19Q80&show_article=1

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. military is developing contingency plans to deal with the possibility that a large spy satellite expected to fall to Earth in late February or early March could hit North America.
Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, who heads of U.S. Northern Command, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the size of the satellite suggests that some number of pieces will not burn up as the orbiting vehicle re-enters the Earth's atmosphere and will hit the ground.

"We're aware that this satellite is out there," Renuart said. "We're aware it is a fairly substantial size. And we know there is at least some percentage that it could land on ground as opposed to in the water."

A U.S. official confirmed that the spy satellite is designated by the military as US 193. It was launched in December 2006 but almost immediately lost power and cannot be controlled. It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor but the satellite's central computer failed shortly after launch. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret.

Renuart added that, "As it looks like it might re-enter into the North American area," then the U.S. military along with the Homeland Security Department and the Federal Emergency Management Agency will either have to deal with the impact or assist Canadian or Mexican authorities.

Military agencies, he said, are doing an analysis to determine which pieces most likely would survive re-entry. But he cautioned that officials won't have much detail on where or when it will crash until it begins to move through the atmosphere and break up.

Renuart added that there does not as yet appear to be much concern about sensitive technologies on the satellite falling into enemy hands.

"I'm not aware that we have a security issue," he said. "It's really just a big thing falling on the ground that we want to make sure we're prepared for."

The satellite includes some small engines that contain a toxic chemical called hydrazine—which is rocket fuel. But Renuart said they are not large booster engines with substantial amounts of fuel.

Video images of the satellite captured by John Locker, a British amateur satellite watcher, show it to be about 13 feet to 16.5 feet across. He believes it weighs a maximum of 10,000 pounds. Locker calculated its size with data on its altitude and location provided by other amateur satellite watchers, using the International Space Station as a yardstick.

Satellite watchers—a worldwide network of hobbyists who track satellites for fun—have been plotting the satellite's degradation for a year. They estimate it is now at an altitude of about 173 miles, and Locker believes it is dropping about 1,640 feet a day.

Where it lands will be difficult to predict until the satellite falls to about 59 miles above the Earth and enters the atmosphere. It will then begin to burn up, with flares visible from the ground, said Ted Molczan, a Canadian satellite tracker. From that point on, he said, it will take about 30 minutes to fall.

In the past 50 years of monitoring space, 17,000 manmade objects have re-entered the Earth's atmosphere.
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