Entries Tagged as 'Satellite'
20 February 2008 · Comments Off
What is it that you yell when you successfully hit a rogue satellite with a missile? “GOL!” works, I guess. From the newswire:
A missile launched from a Navy ship successfully struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, a defense official said. Full details were not immediately available.
It happened just after 10:30 p.m. EST.
And that would have it happening at the height of the eclipse…which seems oddly fitting, even if the eclipse probably wasn’t visible at the missile launch site.
Tags:
Actuarial Musings · Missile · Satellite
19 February 2008 · Comments Off
Seen at CNN:
The U.S. Navy will likely attempt to shoot down a faulty spy satellite Thursday, the day after the space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to land, two officials told CNN Monday.[...]
The Navy plans to fire at the satellite as it enters Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of about 150 miles.
Officials want the missile to hit the edge of the atmosphere to ensure debris re-enters and burns up quickly.
Via Slashdot, one can find a reference to a NOTAM issued for the middle of the Pacific, likely related to the shoot-down attempt.
I thought I saw some speculation that there was some super-secret reason for making the shot during the lunar eclipse that night, but a quick look at the chart and some time-zone conversions suggests (to my unscientific mind, at least) the relationship would be purely coincidental.
At any rate, if you want to get a chance to thumb your nose at the U.S. intelligence operations and look at the not-so-secret satellite for yourself, Heavens Above has information on USA 193’s decaying orbit and forecasted visibility for your location (be sure to set your location under the “Configuration” section first).
Tags:
Catastrophes · Odd · Satellite · Space
18 February 2008 · 1 Comment
Seen in the Courant:
FEMA Warns: The Spy Is Falling!
The article is, of course, about the American spy satellite that is deorbiting out of control, plans by the feds to shoot it down (to cause it to deorbit with extreme prejudice, but hopefully in a more controlled manner)…and word that FEMA is rather energetically offering to help localities in the unlikely event that it falls in their jurisdiction.
Why, you too can snag a copy of what FEMA’s telling first responders to do if the satellite lands in their community.
I also appreciate the cynicism expressed in the Courant article by the South Windsor Chief of Police:
I’ll never hit Powerball, but the damn thing will hit my house.
Tags:
Catastrophes · Odd · Satellite · Space
