Author Topic: Pentagon told to shoot down satellite (Read 1268 times)

Airscrew · « **Reply #30 on:** February 14, 2008, 08:05:59 PM »

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Originally posted by Tac
lol poor scientists... .Solar scientists were not happy about the test either, since although the Solwind P78-1 that was killed had officially completed its mission, it was still sending back useful data "

Oops, sorry bout that, we're you guys still using that old thing?

moot · « **Reply #31 on:** February 14, 2008, 08:11:53 PM »

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Originally posted by AKIron
As has been alluded to, you really have to wonder if this isn't a contrived anti-satellite test. What're the Chinese gonna do, put more lead in the toy paint?

It'd be effective if the missile hit and didn't leave any debris. It'd mean the US can roll out a missile from any suitable navy platform and take down sats up to at least 275km.

Then again it could just mean another arms race of sorts.

AKIron · « **Reply #32 on:** February 14, 2008, 09:58:51 PM »

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Originally posted by moot
It'd be effective if the missile hit and didn't leave any debris. It'd mean the US can roll out a missile from any suitable navy platform and take down sats up to at least 275km.

Then again it could just mean another arms race of sorts.

The last time we had an arms race it led to the end of the Soviet Empire. Of course if China lost, they'd just go back to being China.

VooWho · « **Reply #33 on:** February 14, 2008, 10:43:50 PM »

You know since this is a Spy satellite, wouldn't you think it was carrying nuclear weapons on board? I mean if it was such a threat that it might crash in an urban area and they new they could blow it up with ease, wouldn't they just blow it up right away?

If you think about it though, satellites have falling back into earth, but burnt up on their way down. Wouldn't this satellite do the the same thing? But imagine a satellite with advance technology and was carrying nuclear weapons on board and it crashed into an urban area and a nuke exploded, there's going to be alot of explaining from the U.S. government.

So if you think about it, they're taking days to just destroy it b/c they want to know if they shoot it down from a certain area on earth and destroyed it over the ocean would anyone see the nuclear explosion. Also maybe they want to blow it up, so it doesn't fall the sky and cause a nuclear explosion or crash in the oceans by Russia, China, or some other country and have their military discover nuclear weapons that are still active. I bet this is a major coverup. Bull crap its a toxic fuel. If the thing catches on fire while rentering Earth couldn't the fires cause the fuel to explode miles above our heads?

Cover up

moot · « **Reply #34 on:** February 14, 2008, 11:01:49 PM »

No offense, but nukes? That's as good as any other theory pulled out of nowhere.

The sat has 1000lbs of frozen hydrazine. That'd already be enough to warrant making sure it breaks up enough to burnout before reaching the ground by sending a missile after it.

It's more likely to have bits of tech they don't want in anyone's hands.

You can't blow it up right away or it will leave debris for something like a century or two, or more. Eventualy there is enough debris from debris smashing into healthy sats, that you've got an out of control positive feedback. End result is no more space launches in Earth orbit because of the cloud of high speed particles everywhere.

DREDIOCK · « **Reply #35 on:** February 14, 2008, 11:07:24 PM »

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Originally posted by moot
The same thing would happen as does to lots of bigger rocks, daily..

Dred keep in mind this is a school bus sized secret sat...

Well we keep bragging that we have missles accurate enough to put through a window.
A school bus should present no problem then

angelsandair · « **Reply #36 on:** February 14, 2008, 11:14:28 PM »

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Originally posted by JB88
sounds to me like a message for the chinese.

Only if the Clintons are back in office and give em the secrets like they did in the 1990s

soda72 · « **Reply #37 on:** February 14, 2008, 11:36:53 PM »

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Originally posted by Russian
....and what are they planning to do with all debre left in space? IIRC US was *****ing at China for shooting down their weather satellite....

according to this source any debris left won't be around long...

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Gen Cartwright said there was no parallel with Beijing's actions as the Chinese satellite had been much further out from Earth, meaning its debris could be floating round for decades, endangering spacecraft.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7245578.stm

trax1 · « **Reply #38 on:** February 15, 2008, 12:19:42 AM »

Theres actually alot of debris floating around in space orbiting the Earth, the Air Force even has a division who's job it is to monitor all the debris floating around up there.

crockett · « **Reply #39 on:** February 15, 2008, 06:04:38 AM »

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Originally posted by john9001
yeah yeah , the chinese are 30 years ahead of the US in space stuff, or was that the russians that are 30 years ahead.

You are missing the whole point..We are much further advanced than them, however they showed that simple thinking and a low tech approach can counter just about any hi tech advantage we may have.

The first one they did with a rocket.. Pretty much the low tech slam into it approach.

The second a little more high tech, they used a high powered laser beam to temporarily blind one of our spy satellites. It was said at the time they could likely fully disable a satellite with the same approach.

Our continuing dependence on high tech solutions will eventually bite us in the ass. Sure I love all the technology that comes from all these cool military gadgets.. Yet I think our military seems to be trying to rely too much on high tech for it's future.

What good will unmanned drones be if they have no satellite to guide them? Same goes for anything dependant on GPS.. ect.. ect..

soda72 · « **Reply #40 on:** February 15, 2008, 09:19:21 AM »

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Originally posted by crockett
You are missing the whole point..We are much further advanced than them, however they showed that simple thinking and a low tech approach can counter just about any hi tech advantage we may have.

The first one they did with a rocket.. Pretty much the low tech slam into it approach.

The second a little more high tech, they used a high powered laser beam to temporarily blind one of our spy satellites. It was said at the time they could likely fully disable a satellite with the same approach.

Our continuing dependence on high tech solutions will eventually bite us in the ass. Sure I love all the technology that comes from all these cool military gadgets.. Yet I think our military seems to be trying to rely too much on high tech for it's future.

What good will unmanned drones be if they have no satellite to guide them? Same goes for anything dependant on GPS.. ect.. ect..

we need to build cylons, then we'll be safe....

Airscrew · « **Reply #41 on:** February 15, 2008, 09:20:51 AM »

Skynet is the answer... then we'll have nothing to worry about...

john9001 · « **Reply #42 on:** February 15, 2008, 10:32:47 AM »

half of China's exports go to the US, again i ask, why would they attack their best customer?

Fury · « **Reply #43 on:** February 15, 2008, 12:43:21 PM »

http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/space/02/14/spy.satellite/index.html

"In January 2007, China used a land-based missile to destroy a 2,200-pound satellite that was orbiting 528 miles above Earth.

But the impact left more than 150,000 pieces of debris floating above Earth, NASA estimates. The space agency characterizes nearly 2,600 pieces as "large," meaning greater than 4 inches across, which pose a potential threat to satellites and spacecraft.

China is responsible for 42 percent of all satellite debris in orbit as of January 1, most of it from that Fengyun-C meteorological satellite.

NASA has called it the worst satellite breakup in history."

Airscrew · « **Reply #44 on:** February 15, 2008, 12:48:44 PM »

Somtimes a duck is still a duck. Ok, maybe a Peking duck, but still a duck...