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Defunct Spy Satellite Falling From Orbit
dnormant, among other readers, sent us word that a US spy satellite has lost power and propulsion and could hit the Earth in late February or March. Government officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret. None of the coverage speculates on how big the satellite is, but Wikipedia claims that US spy satellites in the KH-11 class, launched up to the mid-90s, are about the size of the Hubble — which is 13 meters long and weighs over 11,000 kg. "The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down... A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation."
Those stories about telling what brand of cigarettes a person was smoking from space seem a lot more plausible.
Not just answers, the correct questions.
OK, someone do the math:
How thick of a tinfoil hat would I have to put on top of my house to protect it from a 12-ton satellite?
Don't Tread on Me
When Skylab hit the cow, the American government refused to compensate.
The probability of this satellite landing on Osama bin Laden is probably higher than the probability of him being caught within the next couple of months. It's good to see the U.S. finally cracking down on that slimeball!
I'm guessing these things don't just shut down on their own. So, readers of /., which is more likely the cause?
1. Focused EMP from the surface?
or
2. It was running Windows.
Anybody want my mod points?
From Yahoo!
Pike, director of the defense research group GlobalSecurity.org, estimated that the spacecraft weighs about 20,000 pounds and is the size of a small bus. He said the satellite would create 10 times less debris than the Columbia space shuttle crash in 2003.
Now, um, how did the darn thing "loose power?..." Bet that's a secret...
In 2002, officials believe debris from a 7,000-pound science satellite smacked into the Earth's atmosphere and rained down over the Persian Gulf, a few thousand miles from where they first predicted it would plummet.
Anyone wanna take bets on this one hitting Iran?
Want to improve your Karma? Instead of "Post Anonymously", try the "Post Humously" option.
If the satellite was Russian and had nukes then we would have a Space Cowboy Situation
It's the contents of the onboard hard drive that are the hazardous materials. If certain folks find you in possession of that data, well, lets say Gitmo would be a holiday.
When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
Which is presumably what this thing has run out of...
We know who you are. Do not attempt to leave your house, turn off your computer, or unplug your microwave. We will be there shortly to bring you into custody.
Well.. maybe. Or Maybe not. But Definitely not sort of.
Naw, its flux capacitor probably just ran dry. Couldn't sustain 88mph any longer :/
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Also, that flash of light you saw in the sky was not a U.F.O. Swamp gas from a weather balloon was trapped in a thermal pocket and refracted the light from Venus.
It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it.
- E. Debs
Stop it. You're playing into their hands. You keep coming up with the wrong conspiracies about conspiracies, the whole time letting the real conspirators on conspiracy conspire just as invisibly as you say the fake real conspirators do.
That reminds me of Lance missile crew training. Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine was the fuel and inhibited red fuming nitric acid was the oxidizer.
Both are hazardous and there was a leak indicator on the missile containter. IIRC half turned one color for UDMH and the other half turned another color for IRFNA. This usually prompted a question from trainees about what would happen if both were leaking :-D
Please refer to the following chart, to avoid misidentification of "unidentified" flying objects.
https://freeinternetpress.com/mirrors/usaf/airforce-id-chart.jpg
Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
Wait. Check that. If I'm asleep and horizontal, I probably take up more like 12 square feet. That increases the chance of having 20,000 tons of heavy metal land on me to 1 in 457,531,937,280,000. In other words, if you lie down, you are increasing the chances of being hit by a giant spy satellite by an order of magnitude. I don't know about you guys, but I'll be sleeping standing up from now on.
Small consolation, I suppose, if it lands 10 feet West of you and the shock wave turns you into a fine mist.
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