Homeboy Astronomy Blog » weather satellite shooting http://homeboyastronomy.com Homeboy Astronomy Blog - Down-to-Earth Advices for Amateur Astronomers Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:33:02 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Pentagon is Going to Shoot Down a Malfunctioning Spy-Satellite http://homeboyastronomy.com/2008/02/15/pentagon-is-going-to-shoot-down-a-malfunctioning-spy-satellite/ http://homeboyastronomy.com/2008/02/15/pentagon-is-going-to-shoot-down-a-malfunctioning-spy-satellite/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:53:21 +0000 Marko http://homeboyastronomy.com/2008/02/15/pentagon-is-going-to-shoot-down-a-malfunctioning-spy-satellite/ This particular satellite has nothing to do with the newsAmerican defense ministry Pentagon announced that they are going to destroy a falling spy-satellite with a tactical missile. Pentagon released this news yesterday and it has been confirmed by the president George W. Bush. The reason for destroying the satellite is that it is carrying chemicals that are dangerous to humans. By shooting a tactical missile Pentagon is trying to make sure that the satellite will drop to ocean and that the dangerous chemicals will burn in the atmosphere.

The satellite Pentagon is going to shoot down is owned by National Reconnaissance Office and it was launched in December 2006. Soon after the launch the contact was lost and the satellite became useless. Because the satellite has a mass of two tons and only one ton would burn in the atmosphere, Pentagon is forced to destroy the satellite above the atmosphere.

Even though some folks claim that the real reason behind shooting is that the satellite contains classified information. According to Pentagon this is not the reason because the possible classified information would be destroyed in the atmosphere anyway.

According to Pentagon, the possible “window” for shooting the satellite will probably open in 2-3 days and will last for about one week. The tactical missile will be shot from a ship. An interesting point is that one year ago China did exactly the same, which United States strongly criticized.

If you enjoyed this post, then make sure you subscribe to our RSS Feed or Email Newsletter.This article was written by Marko Pyhajarvi and its original location is in HomeboyAstronomy.Com astronomy blog. For more great astronomy articles, please visit HomeboyAstronomy.Com!

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