Late last month DailyTech reported that a massive
U.S. spy satellite had fallen unresponsive and was slowly falling out of orbit towards
Earth. The uncontrolled crash would be the second largest in history
at around 5-20 tons, second only to the harmless crash of the 78-ton Skylab
into the Indian Ocean in 1979.
Experts warned that if the spy satellite crashed on or
exploded above land it could cause serious damage, partially due to its toxic
load of Hydrazine fuel. Also, security analysts warned that government
secrets aboard the spy satellite could be damaging if they fell into the wrong
hands.
The U.S. military made a worried announcement informing the public of the
satellite's descent last month. Now they have decided on a course of
action, which reads like a movie script -- they will shoot the damaged satellite out of
the sky with a missile. The military under orders from the U.S. executive
branch plans to fire two or three SM-3 missiles at the satellite from a U.S.
Navy cruiser. The officials involved spoke on a condition of anonymity,
but official word will be released later today.
Government estimates place the satellite at a more conservative 5 tons,
contradictory to previous reports, which pegged it to weigh around 20
tons. Half of the satellite is expected to survive the crash landing,
though it is not known where it will strike. It is expected to scatter
debris over several hundred miles. Thrusters, which helped the satellite maneuver,
were fueled by tanks of Hydrazine. Hydrazine is highly toxic if it comes
in contact with the skin or respiratory system.
The satellite, known in army circles by the designation US 193, was launched by Lockheed Martin in December 2006, and was
dead upon entering orbit due to a power loss. Its central computer systems and imaging sensor payload are highly sophisticated and top
secret.
John Pike, a defense and intelligence expert says that the
threat of such systems falling into Chinese or other foreign nations hands is a
big motivator for action. Pike says, "
The Chinese and the Russians spend an enormous amount of time
trying to steal American technology. To have our most sophisticated radar intelligence satellite —
have big pieces of it fall into their hands — would not be our preferred
outcome."
Once the satellite reaches about 59 miles above the Earth's atmosphere it will
begin reentry, producing a visible flare. At about this range, the
landing trajectory should begin to be predictable. The satellite entry
would take about 30 minutes afterwards to fall, before it reached impact.
In the past 50 years 17,000 man-made
objects have re-entered the atmosphere, many burning up upon reentry.
Most of these objects were controlled descents, with one notable exception
being Skylab. The last big descent was the controlled crash into the
Pacific Ocean of NASA's 17-ton
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Another major recent crash was a 2002
crash of a 7,000-pound science
satellite into the atmosphere, raining debris down on the Persian Gulf.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention stated that Hydrazine exposure in the short term produces coughing irritated throat and lungs, convulsions,
tremors or seizures. In the long term it can cause liver, kidney and reproductive organ damage. However, if
the U.S. Military's gutsy gambit pays off, they may be able to take out the
satellite before it can do any harm.