you here what happended last night ?

[Evil_Merlin]

Oh damn it is almost 24 years ago. I guess I'm trying to block it out... I am getting old.

 

[wilbur1]

I know, i had to think about it too frekin years

 

[Elvis]

I'm surprised that Green Peace did not Muck it Up with a lawyer.

DBII

LOL!

Probably couldn't figure out how to float their kayaks into outer space!






Elvis

 

[insomnia]

There is always a risk of something sensitive getting out, and I think that was one of the concerns. But there was about 100 gallons, not pounds, of hydrazine on board, and that would cause some damage.


Now imagine that coming down into an area of a country that we are not on good terms with, or maybe we are. It could be speculated that the satellite was deliberately aimed there. Likely? No, but that wouldn't stop propagandists and conspiracy nuts from coming up with something.

The are of contamination would be about 2 football fields. Landing in the middle of the desert somewhere would be no big deal, but what if it landed in the middle of say, downtown Los Angeles?

yet those of us in the USAF get dumped on and they give less than a **** about us... in fact about 15-20 people in my unit alone this past year (including myself).

Didn't even get the rest of my shift off and ended up coughing for the next few days.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yes, I would guess it was quite the opposite; compared to the cold of the space surrounding it, it would seem the satellite was a relatively "warm" target, comparatively speaking. Even a "dead" satellite would radiate more heat than the empty space surrounding it.

Exactly I was going to explain the same thing to him.

 

[evangilder]

yet those of us in the USAF get dumped on and they give less than a **** about us... in fact about 15-20 people in my unit alone this past year (including myself).

Didn't even get the rest of my shift off and ended up coughing for the next few days.

Sadly, some things never change.

 

[fly boy]

Explain how the SAT is cold.

the sat was in orbit about may be 56miles above us

 

[Evil_Merlin]

the sat was in orbit about may be 56miles above us

It most assuredly doesn't mean it was cold, especially to a IR seeking warhead...

Cold to us humans? Sure. Cold to a warhead designed to track heat radiation? Not even close.

Mind you the SM-3 used more than IR guidance to get it's now confirmed kill.

 

[kool kitty89]

I would expect that the Highly volitile (and quite flamable) hydrazine would be burned-up (or at least evaporated) along with the salellite on reentery.

A side note: Hydrazine Hydrate was a major component of C-Stoff fuel (the rest being methanol) used in the Me 163 along with T-Stoff (80% Hydrogen Peroxide) the T-stoff being more corrosive and harmful to contact and the C-stoff more toxic and volitile. (in terms of vaporization)

 

[brickhistory]

No, it HAS to be a conspiracy.

There is no earthly (pun intended) reason that the US Government would take the precaution of letting 1000lbs of hydrazine in a pretty strong tank land on either the US or a foreign country.

Nope, they'd much rather take a chance, no matter how remote, that the thing and stuff would land harmlessly in either the water or the middle of nowhere (where the environmental damage would be significant as the casing ruptured going from mach 6 to 0 in a millisecond) than LA, Honolulu, or Sydney.

Jeez, some of the conspiracy nuts in the world just grate. News flash - BIG pieces of the Shuttle Columbia came down intact including, guess what? That's right, folks, fuel tanks for some of the OMS and manuevering thrusters.

Just a thought; if it were a test, why announce it? The Chinese that we'd want to know that we had the same capability to knock out satellites as did the PRC would know if we shot one down. Why risk the bad press in the event such a shot went amiss?

Jeez, go find Jimmy Hoffa or Amelia Earhart or the like. Let the facts on this one just be the facts............

 

[Njaco]

A funny side note:

Today I had to attend a Animal Emergency Workshop because I'm part of the CART Team (County Animal Response Team). This stuff came about because of Katrina and now they are making contingencies for people with animals in disaster emergencies. Well, we had to have a table top exercise and the scenario was this - a satelite is shot down and crashes across 3 counties and we have to evacuate all residents and animals.

It was amusing.

 

[DOUGRD]

Aviation Week Space Tech. has run articles on this shoot down in last weeks and this weeks magazines. Last weeks article was about how the Navy was going to shoot it down with a MODIFIED missile. Supposedly three missiles were modified for this shoot. This weeks article spent a lot of lines reporting how OUR U.S. CONGRESS was ranting about how this was a thinly disquised plot to show the rest of the world, especially China, that we still have the "Star Wars" capabilities and how they (Congress) were not going to let this happen again. Just makes you want to puke don't it?

 

[Evil_Merlin]

N
Jeez, some of the conspiracy nuts in the world just grate. News flash - BIG pieces of the Shuttle Columbia came down intact including, guess what? That's right, folks, fuel tanks for some of the OMS and manuevering thrusters.

Yep and some people did get sick because of it. I think most of it was limited to burns and lung irritation, but it did happen.

 

[DOUGRD]

Jeez, some of the conspiracy nuts in the world just grate. News flash - BIG pieces of the Shuttle Columbia came down intact including, guess what? That's right, folks, fuel tanks for some of the OMS and manuevering thrusters.
.

Those fuel tanks were mostly empty....REPORTEDLY.

 

[DOUGRD]

the sat was in orbit about may be 56miles above us

I can't remember the source but as I understand it the intercept point was set to be in an area of space where the suns rays would be shining on the sat. so it would absorb some of the heat and this would make its heat signature stand out from the surrounding area. Sounds plausible don't it?

 

[syscom3]

The satellite was being illuminated by the sun and would have had a juicy IR signature.

The solar cells themselves are effective heat radiators.

 

[A4K]

Who knows the real reasons? Those that do certainly won't let on.
Is there really a UFO at Area 51, or was it all really just a cover-up for Project Mogul, for example...

The US don't tend to reveal these things unless
A) Someone shoots something down and they have to explain it
B) They finally succeed after the hundredth test (at 6 times the original estimated cost) and are proud of it
C) They're trying to take the spotlight off something else
D) They just want to wave the patriotic flag a bit more, "We may be up our eyeballs in corruption and mismanagement, but we're still the biggest and the best!"
or D) All of the above

I would love to travel ahead in time, and see the real reasons behind half the crap that's going on.

 

[A4K]

(No offence to you guys BTW, but unfortunately more than a 'fair share' of your countrymen need to get off their high-horse a bit. Alot of people around the world can't stand North Americans in general because of these star-spangled "individuals")

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

D) They just want to wave the patriotic flag a bit more, "We may be up our eyeballs in corruption and mismanagement, but we're still the biggest and the best!"

And how is that different from any other country? Atleast we can back it up...

 

[DOUGRD]

(No offence to you guys BTW, but unfortunately more than a 'fair share' of your countrymen need to get off their high-horse a bit. Alot of people around the world can't stand North Americans in general because of these star-spangled "individuals")

But they sure do love those tourist dollars and US government aid programs don't they? And when the sh-t really hits the fan such as a tsunami or hurricane, earthquake or the like who do "they" call for assistance? It ain't the fuking ghostbusters is it? Don't take this personally A4K, it's not directed at you per se, but it's true. A lot of folks don't like the USA just like you pointed out but that doesn't stop them from sticking their hands out for Uncle Sams green backs does it?