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North Korea's Satellite Tumbling In Orbit

Posted by timothy on from the maybe-they-just-want-some-sweet-tv dept.

schwit1 writes: U.S. Defense officials stated Tuesday that the satellite that North Korea launched on Sunday is now tumbling in orbit and is useless. Do not take comfort from this failure. North Korea has demonstrated that it can put payloads in orbit. From this achievement it is a very short leap to aiming those payloads to impact any continent on Earth. They might not be able to aim that impact very accurately, but if you want to ignite an atomic bomb somewhere, you don't have to be very accurate.

3 of 257 comments (clear)

  1. Let's get real by vtcodger · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Now and for decades to come, North Korea would be very unlikely to use an ICBM/IRBM to launch a nuclear bomb. The missile might not work and neither might the payload after being subjected to the stresses of lift-off and re-entry. Assuming they wanted to blow up Washington, DC, I should think that they would simply smuggle the warhead into the US using the same routes used by smugglers to import carload lots of Cannabis then deliver it using an elderly Toyota purchased on credit . (Be a bit difficult to repossess THAT one when the payments stop).

    --
    You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
  2. CNN lol by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    CNN is always behind....get a better source
    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-satellite-orbit-idUSKCN0VI1XN

    North Korea's recently launched satellite has achieved stable orbit but is not believed to have transmitted data back to Earth, U.S. sources said of a launch that has so far failed to convince experts that Pyongyang has significantly advanced its rocket technology.

    Sunday's launch of what North Korea said was an earth observation satellite angered the country's neighbors and the United States, which called it a missile test. It followed Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test in January.

    "It's in a stable orbit now. They got the tumbling under control," a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

  3. "Tumbling under control" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Reuters is reporting that the tumbling has stopped.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-satellite-orbit-idUSKCN0VI1XN