What is Digg?143 Comments
- spish, on 02/15/2008, -1/+42what could possibly go wrong?!
- e2superman, on 02/15/2008, -2/+39Well I build stuff like this for a living (insert defense company on the west coast). Basically all China has to do is find the satellite debris and try to figure out what aperature size we are flying on that bird to determine quite a bit. If they go further and determien what coatings we are using on the optics or find the focal plane and determine what EO bands we are using they can know ALOT about how powerful our stuff is (and what we can see). Why risk that when you can spend a million or two on a missle to prevent that?
- Egoist, on 02/15/2008, -2/+27There's a slight difference. China shot their satellite while it was in high orbit. The debris field will remain there for years endangering future space flights.
The Pentagon is wanting to shoot it down right before it hits the atmosphere so that the fuel will burn up instead of returning to Earth. The majority of the satellite will burn up in the atmosphere and that will be the end of it.
BUT OMG LIKE, THE "PENTAGOONS" ARE SUCH BAD GUYS AMIRITE? - braingilbreath, on 02/15/2008, -2/+21two words: space cowboys
- didgital, on 02/15/2008, -20/+38Since the Russians and Chinese have both created massive debris fields, I guess we could call this the space junk race... well done Pentagoons.
- e2superman, on 02/15/2008, -0/+13The satellite in orbit cost several hundred million. 1 million is a good bargin to keep that tech out of China's hands.
- RyeBrye, on 02/15/2008, -2/+15This is the grown up version of shooting birds with a BB-gun...
where do I get my SM3 missile? - inactive, on 02/15/2008, -0/+10It could be that it is filled with tin foil.
- Egoist, on 02/15/2008, -0/+9Apparently Digg isn't populated by physicists.
- inactive, on 02/15/2008, -4/+13Or maybe it is because this isn't a TEST! IT is being done to eliminate the possibility (however slim it may be) of the satellite hitting a populate area. The fact that they waited until now to come up with this plan may very well mean that they have a little more indication as to where it may come down and that it may be over populate area.
If you think that this is ANYTHING like China's test, you are out of your mind. - RevJonathan, on 02/15/2008, -4/+13On the contrary, I support the Bush Administration's actions here. I'd rather it not hit a big city and cause serious (though admittedly unlikely) damage. China and Russia can whine all day, but I'm ok with it.
Good call Mr. President. - Laminarcissus, on 02/15/2008, -2/+10more likely to me that it's an obsolete satellite, and it's the missile system under test.
"We've had a malfunction and we've managed to hack something together to save the world" sounds better than "we're going to test the new Smithereen 5 Intergalactic Dominance Missiles next week." - Pixelante, on 02/15/2008, -0/+7I know you're angry because you have to flip burgers for a living, but aren't you going a little too far? Go and cry on MySpace, that's what your ilk is good at.
- berrymush, on 02/15/2008, -0/+6Maybe its the expensive imaging system you talk about in your article, I doubt the Gov wants anyone picking it up if it makes it back to earth.
http://averad-blog.com/tech/us-modified-missile-ma ... - 99Casimir, on 02/15/2008, -0/+6The satellite was launched in December 2006 and is the most recent spy satellite they have launched so it is not obsolete.
- heystoopid, on 02/15/2008, -1/+7on any nearest Aegis class crusier or Japanese Kongo class destroyer !
- 99Casimir, on 02/15/2008, -0/+6Did you even read the story?
- Zaggynl, on 02/15/2008, -1/+6fire ze missiles..
- Egoist, on 02/15/2008, -0/+41) It's a classified satellite and it's better that they know what happens to it as opposed to it landing in China's backyard.
2) Because it's carrying half a ton of hydrazine. - robbh66, on 02/15/2008, -0/+4Yes...but don't tell the rest of the world that the US could do this 20 years ago.
- Niightwitch, on 02/15/2008, -0/+4Ok...so what big conspiracy are you imagining then? It's been a quiet night, I'd like a laugh.
- HHP2K, on 02/15/2008, -1/+4Let's hope not. Cause you know, that does tend to happen.. them there missiles sure like that country.
- zantos420, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3sounds more like IgnorantDigger to me
- e2superman, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3yes enough could survive to tip their hand on the basic design and structure that would save them years and a lot of money in basic scientific research.
- heystoopid, on 02/15/2008, -1/+4Say you forgot to mention about all the Japanese electronics on board as well !
- robbh66, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3Dude, have you ever seen what's left of columbia? Unless ***** is designed to come down to earth with a completely intact shield- not much is left.
Nothing of any real use could be recovered. - eengineer, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3Launching a nuke to take out a satellite? Yea we just lob these nuke things around like their footballs.
- NorrisTwithman, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3OMG! Yahtzee is that you?!?!?!
- robbh66, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3Keeping our little bitch of a sibling Canada down of course.
- jmchez, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3Hey, getting dugg down for posting intellectual thoughts or intelligent responses has happened to quite a few of us. You are lucky you ended up on the positive side after a while.
- Pixelante, on 02/15/2008, -0/+3A lot of things have no ethical purpose. You, for instance. Can you justify your existence? You're a waste of money. Report to the nearest bridge for immediate assisted suicide.
- Egoist, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2Popular Mechanics is saying that they'll be using a non-explosive warhead with the intention of destroying it through good ol' kinetic energy, so there will be no blowing anything up.
And their intention is to destroy it before it hits the atmosphere where gravity will take care of the rest. - Sheff, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2Didn't any of you see Space Cowboys? We have to send retired astronauts with cancer up there to take this thing out.
I don't think this is a pissing contest with the Chinese.
Besides, spying is un-American. I'm guessing that some hacker was able to get control of it and see the same data we're looking at and that it's no longer exclusively under US control. He's probably selling that info to the highest bidder and the FBI can't find him.
This is probably some satellite that has some level of AI so it can look at and evaluate stuff so that we don't have to constantly give it instructions. In addition, I'm willing to bet that it has become self-aware, therefore, we must kill it before it kills us. - inactive, on 02/15/2008, -2/+4Except they are not talking about something that will "save the world." They have said all along that the chances of this hurting anyone or anything is extremely remote.
- wookiesan, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2That would have been fun to watch
- inactive, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2a rock it to it?
Are you dictating your comments to someone? It is like reading closed captions for a live broadcast. - inactive, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2Yes- I believe gravity was one of the co-conspirators!
- Bleahdom, on 02/15/2008, -1/+3Imagine if they miss.
- eengineer, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2You take that logic over to Slashdot. This place is for blind ranting.
- Egoist, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2I nominate you to go out there and tie the rock to it.
- 4degrees, on 02/15/2008, -0/+2obviously you've never fallen out of orbit before... van you say "mostly vaporized"? :-P
- e2superman, on 02/15/2008, -8/+10classic. I give a logical and technically sound reply and get dugg down. sigh. I guess jokes and other comments are more important that educated discussion.
- MThompson21567, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1Didn't the B-52s have a few lines about this sort of thing a long time ago in their song Channel Z? (A song, coincidentally, about environmental degradatoin)
"Narrow minds
Space junk
Laser bombs
Bonk!
Atomic lasers falling from the sky
Where's my umbrella?
Where's my umbrella?" - inactive, on 02/15/2008, -1/+2What, the satellite or the missiles?
- yillip, on 02/15/2008, -2/+3Didn't we condemn the Chinese when they did this in late 2007? It sure will create more space junk in the ionosphere, but if they do it right the risk can be minimized (i.e. at the best orbit declination as its trajectory degrades). It just seems like this is opening a big can of worms for something that we deemed inappropriate less than a year ago.
Don't get me wrong ... it's still awesome and I will be watching ... I'm just sayin. - ixicoolaixi, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1Or it could just be a bluff and they send the SFOD-D to recover the satellite.
- indyGuy, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1See post above. We're shooting it at a much lower altitude. Assuming the feds aren't lying, it's supposed to burn up in the atmosphere.
- indyGuy, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1Hey, dumbass, it takes time for news to get to the front page. It's the nature of social news...
- Bael, on 02/15/2008, -0/+1The missile knows where it is at all times. It knows this because it knows where it isn't.
- kneelB4zod, on 02/15/2008, -1/+2I thought I read or heard somewhere that this thing is a nuclear-powered satellite?. . .
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