Spy Satellites? What Spy Satellites?

mutantcamel writes: "This story at Yahoo says that the actual orbits of US spy satellites are not the same as the ones that the UN thinks that they are. The errors include a launch of a satellite that was never registered, and only two of the last ten satellites have been correctly registered. The errors are bound to cast doubts on what will really happen with the Son of Star Wars programme." Heh, "errors".

Comments

Re:Now that is stupid...

[JanneM]

First, the choice of orbit isn't random; some orbits are better than others (land or sea coverage springs to mind). These orbits will tend to crowd faster than others (there is a real shortage of geostationary orbits by now, for example). Second, they'd be circling in similar orbits for years.

OK, let's stand on random point on a cricket field (though I'd prefer an icehockey rink, but whatever :-) ), and toss marbles. This time, however, we toss them in similar directions. Also, we do another toss about every fifty minutes for the next ten years (or around 100.000 times).

/Janne

Re:Hiding spy satellites is hardly evil...

[nehril]

I can imagine the super-secret Pentagon meeting now:

Satellite nerd: OK sir, we're ready to register the exact position of this here spy satellite with the UN.

Colonel Korn: (twirls moustache) That's top secret info. Classify it and "spill coffee" all over the UN paperwork.

Satellite Nerd: But you realize that any third grader with binoculars will instantly find out? How can we keep the brightest thing in the sky secret?

Colonel Korn: Hmf. Well, it'll at least be secret from all the second graders, and thats enough for me! Make it so!

Look harder

[superid]

I have *very* poor vision and I live in the light polluted southern New England. I have no problem picking out satellites. In fact, its a rare (cloudless) evening that I don't see one. Granted, they are dim and they move pretty fast. Sometimes it helps if you don't quite stare right at them, look away a few degrees.

Maybe you'll get lucky and see the NOSS satellites, there are 3 flying in formation. I've only seen them twice.

SuperID

Re:American version of history

[JatTDB]

Geez...I know this is Slashdot and all...but PERL Harbor? What the hell? Come up for air now and then...can't think code all the time.

Hiding spy satellites is hardly evil...

[Bjarke Roune]

Using the words of George Carlin: "how can it be a spy satellite, when on the news they say it's a spy satellite?" The point being, of course, that spy satellites naturally are supposed to spy on people, and it's not very productive to spy on people if they know exactly where you are and what you are seeing. So, of course the owner of a spy satellite will try to conceal it's whereabouts. In case of war, shooting down a satellite you know where is is also a hell of alot easier than if you didn't know.

If you still think the US are evil here, think about how successfull a real, human spy would be if he walked around with a big sign saying "I'm a spy!" That wouldn't work very well, now would it? In fact, it would simply be silly, not to say stupid, right? It's the same thing with satellites (of course not completely, but the analogy is sound).

If anyone is worried about bias, I'm Danish, not American.

The brightest objects in the sky, yeeaah right.

[buglord]

"It's silly. These things are among the brightest objects in the sky," says John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, a Washington-based policy group. He says the Pentagon has grown arrogant, believing "we won the cold war, we can do whatever we want".

The brightest objects in the sky, even with all the light pollution? Seriously, I've never seen a satellite other than SkyLab. And then, only because everybody in the neighborhood knew when it was to fly by!
Those things don't need navigation lights or bright colors. I'm afraid, Mr. Pike, that the Pentagon can do anything they want in this matter.