Russian Missile Test Seen and Photographed By ISS Astronauts

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Russian Missile Test Seen and Photographed By ISS Astronauts

Posted by Soulskill on Friday October 11, 2013 @05:45AM from the activate-point-defense-lasers dept.

The Bad Astronomer writes "It sounds like a scene from Gravity: Astronauts aboard the International Space Station Thursday saw a weird, glowing cloud of light in the distance, most likely caused by a fuel dump or leaking fuel from a Russian missile launch. The extended life of a Topol missile was being tested in a ballistic launch to a test target in Kazakhstan, and the astronauts were able to take pictures of both the launch vapor trail and the glowing cloud. This event is similar to the eerie spiral lights seen over Norway in 2009 caused by a Russian missile launch as well."

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Norway by Redmancometh · 2013-10-11 05:46 · Score: 4, Informative

Probably not as creepy as norway.
1. Re:Norway by flayzernax · 2013-10-11 12:00 · Score: 1
  
  fuck you slashdot
Well, o.k., nice photos... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 05:51 · Score: 0

Is there something important about it?
1. Re:Well, o.k., nice photos... by gl4ss · 2013-10-11 06:07 · Score: 1, Interesting
  
  no..
  except righteous talk about "blabla nuclear weapons yikes we sure suck as a species" ... when talking about photos taken from a platform put up with the same kind of rocketry as the images are about. you can't have one without the other. and amazingly, unlike gunpowder, sailing, bees, knives, firearms, spoons and what have you to my knoweledge icbm's have never been deployed against anyone as a weapon!
  (and didn't think the photos were that nice tbh.)
  
  --
  world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
2. Re:Well, o.k., nice photos... by smooth+wombat · 2013-10-11 07:02 · Score: 1, Troll
  
  except righteous talk about "blabla nuclear weapons yikes we sure suck as a species" ...
  
  Exactly. When the author interjects about being conflicted, he shows his moronity. How would he like his precious satellites to get up in to space? How would like the ISS to be where it's at? What about the Hubble and the rest of the space telescope cadre?
  
  The fact that he looks like a more angular version of Moby, bald head and all, doesn't help.
  
  --
  We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
3. Re:Well, o.k., nice photos... by smooth+wombat · 2013-10-11 07:03 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  Follow up. I don't care that it's Phil Plait. If anything he should be less likely to show his bias considering how much into the science realm and debunking nonsense he is involved with.
  It's a missile, get over it.
  
  --
  We will bankrupt ourselves in the vain search for absolute security. -- Dwight D. Eisenhower
4. Re:Well, o.k., nice photos... by ShanghaiBill · 2013-10-11 09:05 · Score: 1
  
  you can't have one without the other.
  Why not? I agree that the civilian space programs are all done in the wake of weapon system development, but it doesn't have to be that way. World-wide military spending is about $2 trillion per year. Common sense would suggest that cutting that spending would make more resources available for science and other purposes, not less.
5. Re:Well, o.k., nice photos... by mydn · 2013-10-11 10:11 · Score: 2
  
  How would he like his precious satellites to get up in to space?
  A balloon filled with unicorn farts.
6. Re:Well, o.k., nice photos... by cavreader · 2013-10-11 11:32 · Score: 1
  
  It's easier to get funding if you can come up with some possible military application when pitching your project. ICBM development provided the rock technology needed for the first moon landings and subsequent trips into orbit. Military R&D has resulted in advances in material science, satellite technology, medical, and nuclear technology which also have civilian applications.
the pollution is pretty sad by Gothmolly · 2013-10-11 05:54 · Score: 1

Both the light and atmospheric pollution are pretty crappy looking.

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I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
1. Re:the pollution is pretty sad by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 06:20 · Score: 0
  
  Pollution? Lolwut?
Hmmm... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 06:06 · Score: 0

Wonder what it would look like if the world launched all its nukes at each other...
1. Re:Hmmm... by NeverVotedBush · 2013-10-11 09:10 · Score: 2
  
  Pretty bright for a few minutes is my guess....
From TFA by SJHillman · 2013-10-11 06:09 · Score: 5, Funny

"The International Space Station silently orbits the Earth, black of space above, blue of ocean below. An astronaut floats in the cupola, a dome of glass and steel that faces the planet underneath, smiling to himself as he takes one photo after another of our home world. What he doesn’t know is that a Russian missile is about to make his life very interesting."
Because I imagine that the life of an astronaut is otherwise boring, on par with that of a rock farmer.
1. Re:From TFA by ArcadeMan · 2013-10-11 06:30 · Score: 1, Offtopic
  
  Rock farmers, of course! Why did I invest in pet rocks when the real profit is at the source!
  Thank you!
  
  --
  Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
2. Re:From TFA by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2013-10-11 06:58 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  I'm sure that astronauts don't spend all their time cupolating.
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
3. Re:From TFA by Caledfwlch · 2013-10-11 07:54 · Score: 1
  
  Hey! Some of the best astronauts were rock farmers... the one that set foot on the moon!
  
  --
  These views express my own personal opinions, not those of the other voices in my head
4. Re:From TFA by SJHillman · 2013-10-11 08:03 · Score: 2
  
  He was more of a rock hunter/gatherer.
5. Re:From TFA by advocate_one · 2013-10-11 08:13 · Score: 1
  
  If you had a cupola like the one they have, then I'm pretty sure you'd spend a lot of time "cupolating"... :)
  
  --
  Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
6. Re:From TFA by wonkey_monkey · 2013-10-11 09:07 · Score: 2
  
  They got any female astronauts up there right now?
  Two girls, one cupola...
  
  --
  systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
7. Re:From TFA by K.+S.+Kyosuke · 2013-10-11 09:28 · Score: 2
  
  Two girls, one cupola...
  ...zero g (how not-on Earth could you have forgotten that?)
  
  --
  Ezekiel 23:20
In mother russia... by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 06:09 · Score: 1

...you don't fire missiles. Missiles fire you!
and if they take out the spice channel sat by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 06:13 · Score: 0

God help you
There are 3 Russians on the ISS right now.. by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 06:24 · Score: 1

Two to keep the rest of the crew absorbed in conversation, one to wipe the camera SD card of those flagrant violations of Russian state security
Waitaminute. . . by TripleE78 · 2013-10-11 07:14 · Score: 2

Didn't I just see this movie in the theater? Is this a viral ad for Gravity?
I like! How much? by RalphMichaelDeLeon · 2013-10-11 07:24 · Score: 1

Wowee wooo wee
Solid fuel by jklovanc · 2013-10-11 08:47 · Score: 2

The Topol is a solid fueled rocket so fuel dumping,leakage is probably not the cause. I guess they will have to come up with another theory. The article has been updated to reflect this.
1. Re:Solid fuel by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 10:01 · Score: 0
  
  The exhaust from a solid-fuelled rocket is very reflective - it's basically a cloud of aluminium oxide. No wonder it's so visible.
2. Re:Solid fuel by steelfood · 2013-10-11 10:46 · Score: 1
  
  Maybe they're testing one with liquid fuel.
  
  --
  "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
3. Re:Solid fuel by jklovanc · 2013-10-11 11:00 · Score: 1
  
  They are very different technologies. That would be like trying to run a nuclear plant on coal. Either the type of rocket was wrong or the explanation was wrong.
4. Re:Solid fuel by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 11:27 · Score: 0
  
  Here is what a Topol looks like in action
CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN! by dbIII · 2013-10-11 12:44 · Score: 1

Unicorn farts are even scarier.
http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/09/equoid
Re:Anti Russian propaganda by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 15:48 · Score: 0

Except that "fuel dump" and "leaking fuel" are used to describe things that are standard operations in US launches too, and that you're the one interpreting "weird" to be wrong. Exhaust clouds from rocket launches do look very unnatural compared to clouds people are familiar with 99.9% of the time, but that doesn't make them suddenly negative or wrong.
fucking narrow minded retard by Anonymous Coward · 2013-10-11 18:21 · Score: 0

Maybe a version with a liquid fuel second stage?