DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Disabled spy satellite threatens Earth

A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and could hit the Earth in late February or March, government officials said Saturday.

The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down, they said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret.

"Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," said Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, when asked about the situation after it was disclosed by other officials. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause."

He would not comment on whether it is possible for the satellite to be perhaps shot down by a missile. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss any specifics at this time.

A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation.

Such an uncontrolled re-entry could risk exposure of U.S. secrets, said John Pike, a defense and intelligence expert. Spy satellites typically are disposed of through a controlled re-entry into the ocean so that no one else can access the spacecraft, he said.

Pike also said it's not likely the threat from the satellite could be eliminated by shooting it down with a missile, because that would create debris that would then re-enter the atmosphere and burn up or hit the ground.

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.

As for possible hazardous material in the spacecraft, Pike said it might contain beryllium, a light metal with a high melting point that is used in the defense and aerospace industries. Breathing beryllium can lead to chronic, incurable respiratory problems.

Jeffrey Richelson, a senior fellow with the National Security Archive, said the spacecraft likely is a photo reconnaissance satellite. Such eyes in the sky are used to gather visual information from space about adversarial governments and terror groups, including construction at suspected nuclear sites or militant training camps. The satellites also can be used to survey damage from hurricanes, fires and other natural disasters.

The largest uncontrolled re-entry by a NASA spacecraft was Skylab, the 78-ton abandoned space station that fell from orbit in 1979. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of western Australia.

In 2000, NASA engineers successfully directed a safe de-orbit of the 17-ton Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, using rockets aboard the satellite to bring it down in a remote part of the Pacific Ocean.

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.



Everbody take cover..in 2 months The portal to the end of the world

So. . . . what's the point? Not the first won't be the last.

Did they forget to install an Energizer Bunny?

Talking about things hitting the Earth, I still remember in highschool geology when our whole class went down to the computer lab to record various asteroid paths within the next ten years.

We had to mark down the closest the asteroid would come in a couple of years. Man, whhen those things start dipping below the atmosphere it gets scary.

Hopefully, and asteroid won't end it all...

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The scary prt is, they have no idea were it could impact the earth.. Ummm,

This reminds me of when Skylab returned back to the earth. I was a kid, but remember people being worried about were it was going to land. Nothing really ever came of it since most of it fell into the ocean, and if I re call Australia fined us for littering. also there was of course, the bogus pieces that people said they found, but all in all it was more hype then anything else.

I think the guy that wrote this piece is doing a real big reach for a story. Yes anytime something falls from the sky there is a risk, but 80% of the earth is covered by water so at 80/20 where do you actually think it will land?

Another thing about the beryllium, it is as safe as safe gets until it becomes air born (turns to dust). In fact if you play golf you probably know someone that has a set of Ping Copper beryllium clubs. I know these things becuase I have worked with Beryllium and just about any other metal you care to name at one time or another. Back in the day they used to machine Beryllium dry, now they machine it completely submerged. yes it does cause a dease called Beryliousus(spelling) that is life threatening, but as far as I know nobody has died from it in over 25 years. I had a boss that died from it, but he was unfortunate in that they didn't know how to handle it back in the day.

For what it's worth I don't see a big threat to anybody from what may fall from the sky or whatever material might have been used to build it unless its radioactive somehow...

Brown to the Bone