Thursday the Satellite Comes Down; And Putin’s BP Goes Up

This Thursday three US Navy Ships will be staged to intercept and destroy a US Spy satellite that is in a decaying orbit. One missile will be fired as the other two stand by as back-up. The reason for destroying it? It is the size of a bus and contains about a ton of toxic fuel.

From CNN:

The U.S. Navy will likely attempt to shoot down a faulty spy satellite Thursday, the day after the space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to land, two officials told CNN Monday.

A Delta II rocket lifts off in December, carrying a reconnaissance satellite that failed hours later.

The officials — who spoke on condition of anonymity because much of the planning remains classified — said the idea is to leave as much time as possible so a second attempt could be made if necessary.

Because the 5,000-pound satellite malfunctioned immediately after launch in December 2006, it has a full tank of fuel. It would likely survive re-entry and disperse potentially deadly fumes over an area the size of two football fields, officials have said.

The Navy plans to fire at the satellite as it enters Earth’s atmosphere at an altitude of about 150 miles.

Officials want the missile to hit the edge of the atmosphere to ensure debris re-enters and burns up quickly.

It is important to hit the satellite just as it is entering the atmosphere so the debris don’t become more space junk. Unlike what the Chinese did last year when they tested a weapon designed to destroy orbiting satellites. The Chinese fired on their test satellite while in orbit so if destroyed it would become space junk.

The action that the US is taking to eliminate the threat to humans and the environment is making the President of the Russian Federation angry. Vladamir Putin insists that the US is testing a weapon designed to destroy orbiting satellites. A claim that the Bush Administration denies. The missile being employed is part of the surface to air defense system set to be deployed to Poland. An action which also irritates the former KGB Officer.

Even if we were testing a weapon to destroy orbiting satellites, so what. We didn’t hear Putin compain with the Chinese did what they did.

So Vlad, take a nitro pill and calm the heck down. You will see on Thursday that our system is nothing but a defense system. If you don’t think it’s fair that we have this weapon, build your own!

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