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Originally posted by oldgoat:
Poor li'l dude's running out of things to shoot at.

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Malfunctioning spy satellite USA 193 has been in the news lately because of expectations that it will reenter Earth's atmosphere in March and turn into a spectacular fireball. Reentry has not yet begun, but sky watchers are already noticing the satellite as it zips over Europe and the United States shining as brightly as a first or second magnitude star. Typical photos are shown on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com.

In fact, USA 193 may never reenter--at least not in one piece. Today, the Pentagon announced it will attempt to blast the satellite with a missile before its orbit decays. This would lessen the chances of dangerous satellite debris and fuel reaching the ground while
increasing the population of space junk in low-Earth orbit.

Would you like to see USA 193 with your own eyes? It is about to make a series of evening appearances over many US towns and cities, beginning this weekend and continuing until the Pentagon intervenes. Flyby timetables may be found at http://spaceweatherphone.com. You can also receive telephone and email alerts when the satellite is about to fly over your backyard by subscribing to Spaceweather PHONE.

[ 14 February 2008: Message edited by: martin dufresne ]

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Briguy: I'm sort of hoping they miss because a hit will bring out the cries of "see, it can be done!" from Star Wars supporters.

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If they're using a conventional missile, as the Chinese government did with one of their own satellites, then success in hitting the target won't lend any more credibility to Star Wars than, say, the success the Russians had in shooting Gary Powers out of the sky in 1960 while he was carrying out a spying mission for the USAF/CIA.

Incidently, last January when the Chinese government did the same thing as the U.S. is currently planning to do, all sorts of incendiary articles and anti-Chinese diatribes appeared in the "Western" media.

China under pressure to "explain", etc.

Ain't hypocrisy grand?

Supplemental: The following was what Canada had to say at the time about the Chinese actions:

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"Canada has expressed its strong concerns to the Chinese authorities over the reported anti-satellite test and the possible negative effects," a ministry spokesman told AFP, without elaborating.

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I guess we can expect similar "strong concerns" to be expressed from our government over the possible negative effects of the U.S. shoot down?

[ 15 February 2008: Message edited by: N.Beltov ]

Tonight up here in the Rockies, the Lunar eclipse will be very noticiable, the last couple of nights it has been like day time at full moon rise.

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Originally posted by N.Beltov:
...If they're using a conventional missile, as the Chinese government did with one of their own satellites,... [ 15 February 2008: Message edited by: N.Beltov ]

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I bet the US military can save 2/3 of the cost if they contract this job out to China.

[ 20 February 2008: Message edited by: martin dufresne ]

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Can quite easily see the satellite in the southern horizon, it is very close in, and isflashing multi-colours wildly. Can see it right out my office window so am going to be focused on it and maybe see it there is contact made.

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Originally posted by remind:
Can quite easily see the satellite in the southern horizon, it is very close in, and isflashing multi-colours wildly. Can see it right out my office window so am going to be focused on it and maybe see it there is contact made.

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[ 20 February 2008: Message edited by: Cueball ]

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Originally posted by remind:
By my observatioins though, it is going to be a bit yet before it is over Hawaii or the south Pacific in that general area.

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And shortly after I decided this and stopped watching...

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The video showed the three-stage SM-3 missile launching from the USS Lake Erie at 10:26 p.m. EST, northwest of Hawaii, and of the missile's small "kill vehicle" — a non-explosive device at the tip — maneuvering into the path of the satellite and colliding spectacularly.

He said the satellite and the kill vehicle collided at a combined speed of 22,000 mph about 130 miles above Earth's surface, and that the collision was confirmed at a space operations center at 10:50 p.m. EST.

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