The "Crippled Spy Satellite" Saga - Film at 11

[mickw]

WASHINGTON — U.S. President George W. Bush approved a Defense Department plan to try and shoot down a crippled spy satellite after becoming convinced that the spacecraft's toxic hydrazine fuel posed an unacceptable risk to people on the ground, senior U.S. government officials said at a Pentagon press briefing Feb. 14.

Controllers lost contact with the classified satellite shortly after its Dec. 14, 2006, launch and U.S. government officials recently acknowledged its orbit is decaying and that it would re-enter the atmosphere sometime in March. In order to prevent the satellite's hydrazine fuel tank from coming down intact and possibly dispersing highly toxic fumes over an area roughly the size of two football fields, U.S. officials will take the extraordinary step of attempting to shoot it down just before it re-enters. A direct hit to the spherical tank, which measures about 40 inches (100 centimeters) across, would result in the hydrazine being dispersed in the atmosphere and posing no hazard on the ground, the officials said.

More:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080214/sc_space/uswilltrytodestroycrippledsatellite

If it doesn't go horribly wrong, it has the potential to be APOD of the century   

[Rick]

...and more: http://www.space.com/news/ap-080214-spy-satellite-shootdown.html

...and even older: http://www.space.com/news/ap-080126-spy-satelite.html

The Chinese test has scattered thousands of fragments into a zone in a high enough orbit that they're essentially there for the forseeable future. I sure hope this attempt is a lot more careful about scattering fragments into long-lasting orbits.

The "toxic hydrazine" bit sounds like an excuse, as the stuff is unstable enough that it won't survive an un-shielded re-entry.

[Ian]

in google sky there is a layer of satellites and debris. There is clearly a smear of red debris markers where the chinese blew their satellite up

KML is here http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=sky&Number=1082051&Searchpage=1&Main=1082051&Words=satellite&topic=&Search=true#Post1082051

[Rick]

Yeah, a couple more like that, and getting out of LEO and heading anywhere interesting would become quite risky... 

[mickw]

The Chinese stuff really is a mess and I suspect that's just the detectable fragments  
The Americans reckon they will attempt to detonate about 50 miles lower orbit than ISS at the start of re-entry - I bet that's comforting to ISS crew    

[Rick]

Indeed. There'll be a whole mess of minute fragments, but when they're travelling at 20,000mph relative speed (or more...), even tiny flakes of paint could be lethal. 

[Rick]

US defence officials are considering shooting down a rogue American spy satellite in order to prevent its top-secret technology falling into enemy hands, according to reports.

Aviation Week revealed yesterday that Pentagon sources had confirmed the sat shootdown plans, though it is not yet certain that the US will put them into effect.

The surveillance satellite in question was manufactured by arms behemoth Lockheed for the US National Reconnaissance Office, and failed to come online as intended after being launched. Its price is unknown, the purchase having been made using secret "black" funding, but such hardware can be extremely expensive.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/13/us_spy_satellite_rights_enforcement_shoot_down/

[Rick]

The US Navy will attempt to shoot down a malfunctioning American spy satellite before it falls to Earth, the Pentagon has confirmed. The plan has been approved by President George Bush, citing concern over toxic hydrazine fuel aboard the spacecraft. However, a top analyst has suggested the US is actually worried about secret technology winding up for sale on the web.

American officials confirming the shootdown plan last night said the Presidential decision was based entirely on the fact that the satellite still carries a full tank of manoeuvring fuel, having never been used. The spacecraft failed to come on line after being launched, and is now slowing down and descending due to friction from the upper atmosphere. At some point over the next few weeks, the gradual descent process will escalate quite suddenly and it will plunge to Earth.

And so it goes on: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/15/spy_satellite_shootdown_hydrazine_bogus_ebay_the_true_threat/

[Rick]

The US military is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite due to crash land on Earth in the next few weeks, the Pentagon has announced.

President George W Bush approved the option to fire a missile from a US Navy ship to destroy the satellite before it enters the atmosphere, officials said.

They say the satellite contains a hazardous material which could be fatal if inhaled by humans.

A US general denied claims that the main aim was to destroy secret parts.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7245578.stm

"They've denied it."

"Well, it must be true, then."

[mickw]

During the next week, a wayward U.S. spy satellite will make passes across North America and western Europe soon after sunset and should be easily visible to the unaided eye.
More:  http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080215/sc_space/seethefallingspysatellite

There's a link to Heavens Above on there, but you all know how to sort out your own locations 
Brightest mag so far appears to be evening of the 20th - a busy night 

[mickw]

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has issued aircraft advisories for a large area of the Pacific Ocean for the evenings of Feb. 20 and Feb. 21, setting off speculation that it will attempt to shoot down a wayward U.S. spy satellite on one or both of those nights.
More:  http://www.space.com/spacenews/080219-sn-spysat-shoot.html

If anyone wants me, I'll be in the cellar 

[Rick]

Russia has accused the US of using a plan to shoot down a broken spy satellite as a cover for testing an anti-satellite weapon.

The US said last week that it would use a missile to destroy the satellite, to stop it from crash landing.

Officials say the satellite contains hazardous fuel which could kill humans.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7248995.stm

[Rick]

The US military has issued a warning notice barring flights above a large area of the northern Pacific for two and a half hours early on Thursday morning. The stricken spy satellite marked for destruction by US warships will pass over the taped-off area just at this time, indicating that the first shot will take place then.

The NOTAM (NOTice To AirMen) warning reads:

02/062 (A0038/08) - AIRSPACE CARF NR. 90 ON EVELYN STATIONARY RESERVATION WITHIN AN AREA BNDD BY 3145N 17012W 2824N 16642W 2352N 16317W 1909N 16129W 1241N 16129W 1239N 16532W 1842N 17057W 2031N 17230W 2703N 17206W SFC-UNL. 21 FEB 02:30 2008 UNTIL 21 FEB 05:00 2008. CREATED: 18 FEB 12:51 2008

A "CARF" (Central Altitude Reservation Function) designation indicates a NOTAM intended to keep commercial and private flights clear of military operations, and SFC-UNL means the height band of this warning zone reaches from the surface to "unlimited" altitude - in other words all the way into space. The UTC time referred to is the same as UK time, so the zone exists from 0230 to 0500 on Thursday morning for British readers.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/19/sat_shoot_notam_airspace_warning_declared/

[Rick]

Russia and China have expressed concern over US plans to fire interceptors at a malfunctioning American spy satellite in coming weeks before it plunges fully into the Earth's atmosphere. Meanwhile, it has emerged that Washington launched a crash effort to destroy the spacecraft early in the New Year, less than a fortnight after it was launched and failed to come online.

"The Chinese government is paying close attention to how the situation develops and demands the U.S. side fulfill its international obligations and avoids causing damage to security in outer space and of other countries," said People's Republic of China official spokesman Liu Jianchao yesterday, according to a Reuters report.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/18/satellite_shoot_caper_russia_china_rhubarb_submarine_speculation/

[Ian]

it seems that the US have taken a pot-shot at their satellite. Hope they've got a plan for mopping up the bits.

The US is confident that its shooting down of a disabled spy satellite with a missile managed to destroy its potentially toxic fuel tank.

Marine Gen James Cartwright said there was a 80-90% chance that the satellite's tank had been destroyed.

A fire ball, vapour cloud and spectral analysis indicating the presence of hydrazine all indicated that the tank had been hit, he told reporters.

The operation has been criticised by China and Russia.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7256741.stm

Also: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7254540.stm

[Tony G]

We should tell the Americans that it is a 'FRIENDLY' satellite.
They would hit it first time.

Tony G

[Rick]

We should tell the Americans that it is a 'FRIENDLY' satellite.
They would hit it first time.

Read any of Gordie Dixon's "Dorsai" books?

Sky News has been showing a report of some Pentagon bod bouncing up and down showing off film of the intercept. They say there's nothing left "bigger than a football", and that all the bits will have come down within a month. The film shows stuff flying off in all directions...

From El Reg: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/21/spy_sat_shoot_hit_secrets_safe/

Pentagon officials say that a malfunctioning US spy satellite targeted for destruction has been hit by a missile-defence interceptor. The dead spacecraft smashed into a kinetic kill vehicle, lobbed into the satellite's path 250km above the Pacific by a Standard missile from US cruiser Lake Erie.

According to a Pentagon release, the Lake Erie fired its specially-modified Standard SM-3 interceptor at 0326 this morning UK time. The kinetic warhead was much less massive than the spacecraft which hit it, so the resulting cloud of wreckage will have carried on along the satellite's previous orbital track.

US authorities have previously estimated that the bulk of the debris would re-enter and burn up within "two orbits" after a hit. The satellite was previously circling the Earth every 90 minutes, so this period has already passed. Owing to the timing of the Pacific shot, the wreckage cloud will have been mostly above oceans while this was occurring. However it will also have passed over sparsely-inhabited Canada (once), and twice over Australia.

[Rick]

The anti-satellite operation carried out by the US Navy is seen by experts as a useful test of the anti-ballistic missile system being developed by the Bush administration.

A spy satellite, which has not functioned since being launched, was hit in low orbit by a missile fired from a ship in the Pacific.

The Pentagon said the satellite had to be brought down because the toxic fuel it was carrying had frozen and so could not be used to guide the satellite into the earth's atmosphere to burn up.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7256531.stm

[Mike]

Have you seen the video? Pretty interesting.

[Rick]

Yeah. Bits going in all directions... I bet some of them are up there for years. Hope they don't hit anything that matters...

[Tony G]

Yeah. Bits going in all directions... I bet some of them are up there for years. Hope they don't hit anything that matters...

Maybe that is what they are hoping for, that other satellites are damaged, giving the US a reason to test more missiles under the cloak of 'We are saving the enviroment and mankind from dangerous fuel loads and radio-active bits and pieces that we cannot name as these are top secret, before they fall to earth and damage some rare clump of sea-weed, only found 350 miles east of Hawaii, in an area the size of a family car.' 

Do I sound cynical.

Tony G

S.O.S.     
Save Our Sea-weed.

[Rick]

I'd have been impressed if they'd sent up something to catch it and then drop it into the atmosphere (and then the ocean) in a controlled fashion. With all the junk that's up there, being able to clean up the neighbourhood would be useful.

[mickw]

They can cart something that size up into orbit on the shuttle, why not bring it back in the shuttle.
Or would that be too heavy for the glider ?

[Ian]

all depends on the orbit I suppose, and it wouldn't be without risk to the astronauts either.

I suppose it'll take something valuable to get pinged by debris before they'll seriously look at clearing up. I would prefer it if they now developed a device that could be sent to dock or at least hold onto an errant satellite and bring it down in a controlled manner in one piece. I still don't buy the story that the hydrazine would survive re-entry. It boils at 114degC...

[Rick]

You're not the only one. An article on the Institute of Physics website quotes:

"I don't think the public safety argument holds up. The US produces 16 million kilograms of hydrazine per year, which we ship around in trucks,"

It also wasn't a particularly good test of ABM capability:

"The satellite is a substantially larger target — probably between the size of a minivan and a small school bus. It's also on a very predictable trajectory. And it's high enough to predict with high accuracy where it will be."

More: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/news/33003

[Rick]

why not bring it back in the shuttle.

I'd guess it was in a nearly polar orbit (good for covering anywhere on the globe), and the Shuttle can't get to those safely. It was also, by this stage, rather too low for the Shuttle to work on it safely.