Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Expensive U.S. Spy Satellite Not Working

Posted by Zonk on from the should-have-had-an-open-beta-first dept.

Penguinshit writes to mention a Reuters article about some trouble the U.S. is having communicating with a spy satellite. The sensor package was launched last year by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, and is worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It has apparently hung in a low orbit for months now, and efforts to communicate with it have been unsuccessful. From the article: "The official said the problems were substantial and involved multiple systems, adding that U.S. officials were working to reestablish contact with the satellite because of the importance of the new technology it was meant to test and demonstrate. The other source said the satellite had been described to him as 'a comprehensive failure.' There was no suggestion by either of the sources that the satellite had been purposely damaged as part of a terrorist attack. Another government official said he had no information about any attacks on U.S. satellites."

4 of 251 comments (clear)

  1. The problem... by It+doesn't+come+easy · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Windows has encountered an error from which it cannot recover and needs to restart. Please press any key to continue..."

    --
    The NSA: The only part of the US government that actually listens.
    1. Re:The problem... by kfg · · Score: 5, Funny

      An emergency shuttle mission is already being scheduled to deal with the problem. It will be a failure, however, when the astronaut discovers that he cannot find the Any key.

      KFG

    2. Re:The problem... by ceoyoyo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Wouldn't it be simpler just to go to Staples and buy an Easy button?

  2. just a *few* corrections: by Ancient_Hacker · · Score: 5, Funny
    An anonymous reader writes to mention a Reuters article about some trouble the U.S. is having communicating with a spy satellite. >The sensor package was launched last year by the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office

    Well, I doubt if NRO launches anything-- they probably sign a check to Martin-Marietta, who coordinates things and rents a pad at Vandenberg.

    >and is worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

    Well, it probably cost hundreds of millions of $. What it's worth, especially in the light of it being unusable, is debatable. Back when CMOS sensor arrays were custom made for $70,000 each the technology was gee-whizzy. Nowdays your basic disposable camera isnt that far behind what's in the current sats.

    >It has apparently hung in a low orbit for months now.

    "Hung"? as in hanging from something? Or hung as in "windows hung on me"?

    >and efforts to communicate with it have been unsuccessful. The official said the problems were substantial and involved multiple systems.

    So it probably had several radio links and none of them seem to be working. That's bad. There's usually at least one last-ditch fail-safe really simple telemetry and command link that doesnt depend on the main power source or antenna aiming. If they can't talk to that thingy, things are mighty grim.

    >adding that U.S. officials

    "Officials"? More likely a bunch of hairy and now sweaty peons.

    >Were working to reestablish contact with the satellite because of the importance of the new technology it was meant to test and demonstrate.

    So they wouldnt bother if it had old technology but cost $200 million?

    >The other source said the satellite had been described to him as 'a comprehensive failure.'

    Well, if you can't talk to it, that's pretty comprehensive.