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Soviet Space Battle Station Images Published

An anonymous reader writes "Images of the Soviet Union's laser space battle station Skif and its prototype Polyus have been published on the web. Polyus-Skif was the Soviet response to the American 'Star Wars' program of the 1980s. The Polyus was launched in May 1987 but a faulty sensor caused it to de-orbit into the South Pacific. More information can be found at Encyclopedia Astronautica."

27 of 350 comments (clear)

  1. ...but a faulty sensor caused it to de-orbit... by DaneelGiskard · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...yes, I would pretend this as well ;-)

    1. Re:...but a faulty sensor caused it to de-orbit... by CrowScape · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, it would link it to the Arilou Lalee'lay, indicating that the Soviets had a secret deal with them to obtain a quasispace portal generator. I always knew Falayalaralfali was Red!

      --
      common sense: noun
      What those who are ignorant of the subject matter think; usually wrong.
  2. See a picture... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    here, just in case that one gets Slashdotted. It's already starting to look beat-up.

    1. Re:See a picture... by syrinje · · Score: 1, Funny

      A-ha! All these years I was wondering where Lucas got the idea for a spherical deathstar design with a concave depression - and now I know - thank you, thank you, thank you, dear AC - NOT!

      --
      See that long UID - that's what you get for lurking too long
  3. Hahaha by metlin · · Score: 3, Funny

    Interesting comments.

    And they said that movie with Clint Eastwood in space was farfethced. Hah!

    *ahem*

    We do have a cowboy in office, don't we?

  4. Oh man that thing is uber Cool!!! by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'd bid at least $50 bucks for it on eBay

    1. Re:Oh man that thing is uber Cool!!! by hostylocal · · Score: 5, Funny

      $50 for the wreckage $8000 p+p $2.5b for raising it from the bottom of the south pacific buyer pays postage and all associated costs. pay pal accepted.

  5. In Soviet Russia by cheezemonkhai · · Score: 5, Funny

    War Stars You!!

    What it had to be said.. at least it's out the way now :p

  6. Man, I am glad it "de-orbited." by The+Ape+With+No+Name · · Score: 2, Funny

    What ifn dem turrizts got hold of dat? They'd shoot lasors right at our testic^H^H^H^H^H^Hgon^H^H^Hballs and we wouldn't have a goll durn chance. Better tell Senator Frist it's A-OK to appropriate 300 mill for that Star Wars whatjamagig even if it don't work! Gosh!

    --
    Comparing it to Windows will be a moot point, since El Dorado is going to have a 40% larger code base than XP.
  7. Sad by sailforsingapore · · Score: 1, Funny

    Skif just seems like a particularly wimpy name for a "laser space battle station". Maybe it's just me...

    1. Re:Sad by Peale · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's because SKIF is an acronym. It stands for "Super Killer Ignito-Flash".

      The rumor is that it crashed into the ocean because of a sensor failure. The truth is it suicided because they gave it a really sucky name.

  8. Thats not a battle station... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... it's a moon.

  9. Great term by Timesprout · · Score: 1, Funny

    From now on anyone anyone complaining about an application crashing will be totally ignored. Our systems are way too sophisticated and cultured to do anything less than de-orbit, and even if they did decide to de-orbit it would be from nothing less than a very great height indeed.

    --
    Do not try to read the dupe, thats impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth
    What truth?
    There is no dupe
  10. If it was ever used... by thewonderllama.com · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...we'd just have to get George Lucas to go back and edit it so that their space station fired first.

    ~BS
    --
    Home of the EULA shirt
  11. BREAKING NEWS: Soviet Battle Station Slashdotted! by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 4, Funny

    This will not bode well for us geeks! Does anybody have a laser proof tin foil hat I can borrow??

  12. Too Bad It Already Fell Out of Space by Evil+W1zard · · Score: 3, Funny

    Taco Bell could have put a big target out in the South Pacific and if it hit it we would have all won free tacos!

    --
    News Reporters Make Tasty Polar Bear Treats!
  13. De-Orbit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is that just scientist speak for CRASHED? Damn, you guys think you can make poo-poo smell like roses with words can't you? The damn thing crashed into the ocean, it didn't de-orbit. Its like a salesman saying he didn't get the account because the customer de-bought the product.

  14. de-orbit... by phasm42 · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's a nice euphism for crash and burn.

    --
    "No one likes working in a hamster wheel, and your shop smells of cedar shavings from here." - TaleSpinner
  15. Looks like a small moon to me by kippy · · Score: 1, Funny

    but I could be wrong.

  16. Re:If the USSR had that back then.... by WhatAmIDoingHere · · Score: 1, Funny

    " ...just imagine what the USA might just have up there right now.
    --
    It's a Bagel.
    "

    A bagel? In space? You're mad! What kind of a fool would dare to orbit a bagel?

    Why won't you think of the children!

    --
    Not a Twitter sockpuppet... but I wish I was.
  17. Re:a faulty sensor? by kfg · · Score: 1, Funny

    . . .Borcshe to the soldiers....

    Is that that 356 knockoff that Lada made?

    Not as good as the real thing, of course, but at least it represented a good try. It never really made sense to me to make inferior knockoffs of Fiats. That's like trying to undercut the Wal-Mart computer market.

    KFG

  18. In... by jellomizer · · Score: 2, Funny

    In Democraticic America, a de-orbit into the South Pacific causes faulty sensor.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  19. Re:any ideas why this on the Latvian army site? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Because hosting in Russia would be dangerous for your health.

  20. remember.... by mr_z_beeblebrox · · Score: 2, Funny

    Many Bothans died to bring us this information.

  21. FAB! by bettlebrox · · Score: 2, Funny

    Thunderbirds 1 is go!

    --

    I have a very small mind and must live with it.
    -- E. Dijkstra

  22. Re:Launch Failure Conspiracy Theory by dajak · · Score: 3, Funny

    Gorbachev had just come to power and wanted to make peace overtures to the West. A giant space battle station was not going to help this endeavour so a deliberate "launch failure" would be the simplest and easiest way of getting rid of the darn thing and shutting down the program.

    Unlikely. I prefer the conspiracy theory that says that a US battle station destroyed it on its way up. The Soviet Union collapsed when its leadership realized what had happened, and what the implications are. US battle stations have also been disabling European and Japanese probes to Mars lately, so there must be something on Mars that we are not allowed to see. It all makes sense to me.

    The Space Shuttles and the ISS are just red herrings.

  23. WOW! by NetNinja · · Score: 2, Funny

    That sucker is impressive!