U.S. Navy Missile Successfully Hits Dead Spy Satellite Above Pacific

[Wretched Excess]

Navy Shoots Down Wayward Satellite

WASHINGTON —  A defense official says a missile launched from a U.S. Navy ship in the Pacific hit the decaying U.S. spy satellite it was targeting 130 miles above Earth's surface.

Story


details are sketchy. 

[Wretched Excess]

hmmm.  fox has changed it's headline for "shoots down" to "successfully hits" . . . . . don't think anyone expected it to instantly fall to earth even if the attempt was successful.

[Wretched Excess]

WASHINGTON —  A missile launched from a Navy ship successfully struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, a defense official said. Full details were not immediately available.

It happened just after 10:30 p.m. EST.

Two officials said the missile was launched successfully. One official, who is close to the process, said it hit the target. He said details on the results were not immediately known.

The goal in this first-of-its-kind mission for the Navy was not just to hit the satellite but to obliterate a tank aboard the spacecraft carrying 1,000 pounds of a toxic fuel called hydrazine.

U.S. officials have said the fuel would pose a potential health hazard to humans if it landed in a populated area. Although the odds of that were small even if the Pentagon had chosen not to try to shoot down the satellite, it was determined that it was worth trying to eliminate even that small chance.

Officials said it might take a day or longer to know for sure if the toxic fuel was blown up.

[Wretched Excess]

Navy Missile Hits Spy Satellite

WASHINGTON (AP) - A missile launched from a Navy ship struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, the Pentagon said.

It was not clear whether the operation succeeded in its main goal of destroying a tank aboard the satellite that carried a toxic fuel that U.S. officials said could pose a hazard to humans if it landed in a populated area.

"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours," the Pentagon said in a written statement.

The USS Lake Erie, armed with an SM-3 missile designed to knock down incoming missiles—not orbiting satellites—launched the attack at 10:26 p.m. EST, according to the Pentagon. It hit the satellite as the spacecraft traveled at more than 17,000 mph.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP)—A missile launched from a Navy ship successfully struck a dying U.S. spy satellite passing 130 miles over the Pacific on Wednesday, a defense official said. Full details were not immediately available.

It happened just after 10:30 p.m. EST.

Two officials said the missile was launched successfully. One official, who is close to the process, said it hit the target. He said details on the results were not immediately known.

The goal in this first-of-its-kind mission for the Navy was not just to hit the satellite but to obliterate a tank aboard the spacecraft carrying 1,000 pounds of a toxic fuel called hydrazine.

U.S. officials have said the fuel would pose a potential health hazard to humans if it landed in a populated area. Although the odds of that were small even if the Pentagon had chosen not to try to shoot down the satellite, it was determined that it was worth trying to eliminate even that small chance.

Officials said it might take a day or longer to know for sure if the toxic fuel was blown up.

link

[Chris_]

I was listening to a radio report of what they did to set this up -- 3 Aegis ships (primary, guide, backup).

At the time of impact, the approach speed should have been something like 22,000 MPH.

The satellite was the size of a school bus, but the fuel compartment, which they wanted to hit, is about 4 feet long.

Very cool -- I wonder if we will be able to see some video of the whole thing....

[Wretched Excess]

from the updated foxnews link:

"Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours," the Pentagon said in a written statement.

The USS Lake Erie, armed with an SM-3 missile designed to knock down incoming missiles — not orbiting satellites — launched the attack at 10:26 p.m. EST, according to the Pentagon. It hit the satellite as the spacecraft traveled at more than 17,000 mph.

Because the satellite was orbiting at a relatively low altitude at the time it was hit by the missile, debris will begin to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere immediately, the Pentagon statement said.

"Nearly all of the debris will burn up on re-entry within 24-48 hours and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days," it said.

[Atomic Lib Smasher]

Very cool -- I wonder if we will be able to see some video of the whole thing....

That's what I'm waiting for.


Heh, and the libs said this type of technology would never work. Glad the adults are in charge,... for now.

[Texacon]

We ROCK!!  Wonder when the next VRWC weather control satellite is scheduled to go up?   

KC

[Wretched Excess]

LOL!  here's the orlando sentinel headline;

Navy downs satellite, risks global anger

spin much, sentinel?

[Wretched Excess]

In this Nov. 6, 2007 picture provided by the U.S. Navy, a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) is launched from Pearl Harbor-based guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Erie as part of a Missile Defense Agency test in the Pacific Ocean. The government issued notices to aviators and mariners to remain clear of a section of the Pacific beginning at 10:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008 indicating the first window of opportunity to launch an SM-3 missile from the USS Lake Erie, in an effort to hit a crippled U.S. spy satellite. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy) (AP)

[Chris_]

LOL!  here's the orlando sentinel headline;

Navy downs satellite, risks global anger

spin much, sentinel?

And of course, had it hit a mosque or an african village or anything outside of the USA, then the USA would have been global villains.

[Wretched Excess]

official DoD statement

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2008 – A network of land-, air-, sea- and spaced-based sensors confirms that the U.S. military intercepted a non-functioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite which was in its final orbits before entering the earth's atmosphere.

At approximately 10:26 p.m. EST today, a U.S. Navy AEGIS warship, the USS Lake Erie (CG-70), fired a single modified tactical Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) hitting the satellite approximately 247 kilometers (133 nautical miles) over the Pacific Ocean as it traveled in space at more than 17,000 mph. USS Decatur (DDG-73) and USS Russell (DDG-59) were also part of the task force.

The objective was to rupture the fuel tank to dissipate the approximately 1,000 pounds (453 kg) of hydrazine, a hazardous fuel which could pose a danger to people on earth, before it entered into earth's atmosphere. Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours.

Due to the relatively low altitude of the satellite at the time of the engagement, debris will begin to re-enter the earth’s atmosphere immediately. Nearly all of the debris will burn up on reentry within 24-48 hours and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days.

DoD will conduct a press briefing at 7 a.m. EST to provide further information related to the operation. The briefing can be viewed live on www.Defenselink.com through the Pentagon Channel.

link

[Wretched Excess]

Officials cautioned that while early information indicated that the interceptor’s “kill vehicle” had hit the satellite, it would be 24 hours before it could be determined whether the fuel tank with 1,000 pounds of toxic hydrazine had been destroyed as planned.

Even so, one official who received a late-night briefing on the mission expressed confidence that the impact had been so powerful that the fuel tank probably had been ruptured.

link

an update from the NYT that I haven't read anyplace else yet.

[Wretched Excess]

more details from fox news

U.S. officials said the missile likely destroyed it's intended target, a 1,000 pound tank of toxic hydrazine fuel.

One official said "there are good first indications the shot was successful. There was an explosion on impact and over 80 pieces of debris were detected after initial assessments."

The explosion is a good sign because the warhead was non-explosive, meaning the explosion was most likely caused by hitting the gas tank. The large amount of debris detected is also positive because it indicates they struck one of the satellite's more massive sections, and the tank is one of its largest.

The missile hit the satellite about three minutes after launch as the spacecraft, roughly the size of a school bus, traveled in polar orbit at more than 17,000 mph.

[Wretched Excess]

USS Lake Erie

[Wretched Excess]

broadband warning!

Large image (1.9MB) of USS Lake Erie steaming past the Arizona memorial.

[Wretched Excess]

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon says a U.S. missile smashed a disabled spy satellite that was headed for earth and the military is tracking the debris as it falls over the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon press conference Thursday that he couldn't rule out that hazardous material would fall to the earth.

But he says so far officials have tracked "nothing larger than a football."

Cartwright says officials also "have a high degree of confidence" — though are not ready to say for sure — that the missile launched from a Navy ship near Hawaii struck the satellite's fuel tank. Officials said the toxic hydrazine fuel in the tank would have caused a hazard had it fallen to earth.

link

nothing larger than a football?  that wasn't just a success, that was a literally smashing success.

[NHSparky]

LOL!  here's the orlando sentinel headline;

Navy downs satellite, risks global anger

spin much, sentinel?

**** the Chinese and their "outrage".  They're just pissed cause the Clinton's didn't sell them that technology--YET.

Oh, and our debris will burn up in the atmosphere in 24-48 hours.  The sat the Chinese destroyed a while back will present obital debris hazard for DECADES.

[Red October]

"It's not a stupid idea, but it's a bad idea," Forden said. Though 3 percent is a relatively high number, he said, it presumes the tank would have survived its fall to Earth. The potential downside, he said, is triggering a military space race.

Last year, China shocked the world when it used a newly developed anti-satellite missile to destroy a defunct weather satellite, the Feng Yun 1-C, orbiting 528 miles above Earth. The resulting explosion sent a wave of debris hurtling through space at more than 6 miles per second.

The test unnerved American defense officials and provoked international condemnation.

Uh, okay.  How are we the ones to blame for "triggering military space race?"  Do people think we just forget shit that happens a mere 12 months ago?

[NHSparky]

"It's not a stupid idea, but it's a bad idea," Forden said. Though 3 percent is a relatively high number, he said, it presumes the tank would have survived its fall to Earth. The potential downside, he said, is triggering a military space race.

Last year, China shocked the world when it used a newly developed anti-satellite missile to destroy a defunct weather satellite, the Feng Yun 1-C, orbiting 528 miles above Earth. The resulting explosion sent a wave of debris hurtling through space at more than 6 miles per second.

The test unnerved American defense officials and provoked international condemnation.

Uh, okay.  How are we the ones to blame for "triggering military space race?"  Do people think we just forget shit that happens a mere 12 months ago?

When it's the enemies of America, yes--yes they do.

[Wretched Excess]

Joint Chiefs Vice Chairman Gen. James Cartwright points to a video during news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008, hours after a Navy missile scored a direct hit on the failing spacecraft.


In this image provided by the US Navy a single modified tactical Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) launches from the U.S. Navy AEGIS cruiser USS Lake Erie Wednesday Feb. 20, 2008, successfully impacting a non-functioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite approximately 247 kilometers (133 nautical miles) over the Pacific Ocean, as it traveled in space at more than 17,000 mph. President George W. Bush decided to bring down the satellite because of the likelihood that the satellite could release hydrazine fuel upon impact, possibly in populated areas.

[Attero Dominatus]

Video of the missile launch and impact.

http://www.breitbart.tv/html/50894.html

[Wretched Excess]

Video of the missile launch and impact.

http://www.breitbart.tv/html/50894.html

all your satellite are belong to us.

[Randy]

Video of the missile launch and impact.

http://www.breitbart.tv/html/50894.html

all your satellite are belong to us.

And that right there is why the ChiComs are pissed, they know it too.