syndicat111
Member
+39|6686|UK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7245578.stm

The US military is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite due to crash land on Earth in the next few weeks, US news agency AP reports
There has been a lot of speculation that the craft contains a high quantity of hydrazine rocket fuel that would cause it to explode on re-entry
A spokesman said "numerous" satellites had come out of orbit and fallen back to Earth harmlessly over the years.
It might just be me, but I dont think avoiding another explosion due to re - entry is the only motive of blowing up this spy satellite.

Perhaps there are some things the US government might not want anyone else to find out about...?

Last edited by syndicat111 (2008-02-14 10:05:09)

syco480
Member
+3|6638
a government with secrets? lawl, thats just crazy
Mekstizzle
WALKER
+3,611|6629|London, England
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-satellite_weapon

China destroyed an old orbiting weather satellite, the world's first test since the 1980s
It's an excuse for the US military to test/show that it's still in the bznz of being capable of blowing up shit in space. Well that's what I think, it's a somewhat delayed response to the Chinese tests. I guess they were just waiting for the opportunity.
OrangeHound
Busy doing highfalutin adminy stuff ...
+1,335|6657|Washington DC

syndicat111 wrote:

Perhaps there are some things the US government might not want anyone else to find out about...?
Speaking from personal experience:  Yes.  That's right.
SenorToenails
Veritas et Scientia
+444|6138|North Tonawanda, NY
They don't want it to land in some other country, and have them get whatever is on it. Blowing it up in space is a bad idea though -- it just puts more garbage in orbit.  The Chinese added a ton of orbital debris when they blew up that satellite a year or so ago.

I don't think this is being done to show China anything.  I think it is being done to keep countries like China from getting some cream-of-the-crop US technology.  Even if it is in pieces.
Shocking
sorry you feel that way
+333|6007|...
test, and probably make sure noone else can recover what's falling down, think I've read some statements somewhere that China / Russia may be interested in this sattelite.
inane little opines
syndicat111
Member
+39|6686|UK

OrangeHound wrote:

syndicat111 wrote:

Perhaps there are some things the US government might not want anyone else to find out about...?
Speaking from personal experience:  Yes.  That's right.
Im not referring just to secrets crucial to the military etc.

It could be anything, enough to piss Russia off even more as seen in the U2 incident, where the US said the plane was a weather plane.
My point was not clear - and I dont think that it is another chance to show US strength either, otherwise why such a thin mask for their true intentions?  They couldnt just say "classified material" or whatever...

You know, in the Cold War, it was actually planned to blow up the moon after Sputnik was released...  it was cancelled because they didnt know where the pieces would land.  That is trying to show strength...
SenorToenails
Veritas et Scientia
+444|6138|North Tonawanda, NY

syndicat111 wrote:

You know, in the Cold War, it was actually planned to blow up the moon after Sputnik was released...  it was cancelled because they didnt know where the pieces would land.  That is trying to show strength...
Blow up the moon?  How?  From a surface attack?  No way!  Give me a source, or that is just bullshit.
Bull3t
stephen brule
+83|6310

syndicat111 wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7245578.stm

The US military is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite due to crash land on Earth in the next few weeks, US news agency AP reports
There has been a lot of speculation that the craft contains a high quantity of hydrazine rocket fuel that would cause it to explode on re-entry
A spokesman said "numerous" satellites had come out of orbit and fallen back to Earth harmlessly over the years.
It might just be me, but I dont think avoiding another explosion due to re - entry is the only motive of blowing up this spy satellite.

Perhaps there are some things the US government might not want anyone else to find out about...?
The government always keep things away from the people.

You know this.
Fester53D&E
Member
+3|6438|Los Angeles, CA
Foxnews.com has the same story with thr following quote:

"The Chinese and the Russians spend an enormous amount of time trying to steal American technology," said John Pike, a defense and intelligence expert. "To have our most sophisticated radar intelligence satellite — have big pieces of it fall into their hands — would not be our preferred outcome."

Makes sense to me.
syndicat111
Member
+39|6686|UK

SenorToenails wrote:

syndicat111 wrote:

You know, in the Cold War, it was actually planned to blow up the moon after Sputnik was released...  it was cancelled because they didnt know where the pieces would land.  That is trying to show strength...
Blow up the moon?  How?  From a surface attack?  No way!  Give me a source, or that is just bullshit.
Im sorry, I have that from my college stuff on the Cold War - so its a hard copy.  Ive been searching for a source, yet unsuccessful...  Youll just have to take my word for it, but bear in mind that Nuclear power was a relatively new entity, and as the Communists had beaten the US to space craft (Sputnik), Capitilist dominance needed to be shown.
Ill keep searching, and will post if I can find a reliable source.
SenorToenails
Veritas et Scientia
+444|6138|North Tonawanda, NY

syndicat111 wrote:

Im sorry, I have that from my college stuff on the Cold War - so its a hard copy.  Ive been searching for a source, yet unsuccessful...  Youll just have to take my word for it, but bear in mind that Nuclear power was a relatively new entity, and as the Communists had beaten the US to space craft (Sputnik), Capitilist dominance needed to be shown.
Ill keep searching, and will post if I can find a reliable source.
This?
...If the Russians got there instead of us, perhaps this is what they did.

I read a troublesome story in the publication Weekly World News a year or two ago about a bizarre plot by the Russians to blow up the moon.

The article said the plan, approved by the Russian government, was designed to cause the Earth to tilt differently and consequently improve the Russian growing season. The bad side of the plan, the story said, was that the change would impact weather in the United States.

Demolishing the moon, the story said, “will be a simple matter of placing about 600 multi-megaton nuclear warheads on Soyuz-type rockets and launching at the target.”...
Smells like bullshit to me.
usmarine
Banned
+2,785|6770

Ja?  So?
Stingray24
Proud member of the vast right-wing conspiracy
+1,060|6453|The Land of Scott Walker
In Soviet Russia, we will pwn the moon!
syndicat111
Member
+39|6686|UK
No American plans to blow up the moon to show dominance over Communist Russia.

You have to remember, they were just ideas and were never actually put into motion - its the fact that this idea was explored...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2000/ … heobserver
The US Air Force developed a top-secret plan to detonate a nuclear bomb on the moon as a display of military might at the height of the Cold War
http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/stories/s127959.htm

COMPERE: A physicist in the United States has revealed that in 1958 at the height of the Cold War he was asked by the government to develop a plan to explode a nuclear device on the moon.

Last edited by syndicat111 (2008-02-14 10:42:54)

IRONCHEF
Member
+385|6499|Northern California
You guys are ALLLL wrong.  They need to blow it up so nobody learns where Jimmy Hoffa's body was placed...it's IN the satellite!
SenorToenails
Veritas et Scientia
+444|6138|North Tonawanda, NY

syndicat111 wrote:

No American plans to blow up the moon to show dominance over Communist Russia.

You have to remember, they were just ideas and were never actually put into motion - its the fact that this idea was explored...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2000/ … heobserver
The US Air Force developed a top-secret plan to detonate a nuclear bomb on the moon as a display of military might at the height of the Cold War
Best I can find so far
I searched for "blow up the moon cold war" and that is what came up.  Besides, detonating a nuclear weapon on the surface is a far cry from "blowing it up".
Stingray24
Proud member of the vast right-wing conspiracy
+1,060|6453|The Land of Scott Walker

IRONCHEF wrote:

You guys are ALLLL wrong.  They need to blow it up so nobody learns where Jimmy Hoffa's body was placed...it's IN the satellite!
Elvis is in there with it!
syndicat111
Member
+39|6686|UK
Well what do you think a nuclear explosion would do to it?  Aside from blow a considerable hole in it, potentially killing due to the debri and screwing tidal patterns in the ass...
SenorToenails
Veritas et Scientia
+444|6138|North Tonawanda, NY

syndicat111 wrote:

Well what do you think a nuclear explosion would do to it?  Aside from blow a considerable hole in it, potentially killing due to the debri and screwing tidal patterns in the ass...
No.  It wouldn't.

The moon has a radius of 1,737.10 km and a mass of 7.3477×10^22 kg.  That's large.  A single nuclear weapon would not "blow a considerable hole in it" at all.  Maybe a crater, but nothing that will really change the moonscape.  Think about it logically.  It will take a lot of explosives to blow apart the moon.  Especially from the surface.
S.Lythberg
Mastermind
+429|6455|Chicago, IL
1. Satellite may contain sensitive materials

2. Perfect opportunity to practice hitting a high speed target in space.
syndicat111
Member
+39|6686|UK

SenorToenails wrote:

syndicat111 wrote:

Well what do you think a nuclear explosion would do to it?  Aside from blow a considerable hole in it, potentially killing due to the debri and screwing tidal patterns in the ass...
No.  It wouldn't.

The moon has a radius of 1,737.10 km and a mass of 7.3477×10^22 kg.  That's large.  A single nuclear weapon would not "blow a considerable hole in it" at all.  Maybe a crater, but nothing that will really change the moonscape.  Think about it logically.  It will take a lot of explosives to blow apart the moon.  Especially from the surface.
Your talking about it as if you thought it would be a good idea...
Ghandi767
Member
+17|6630|Hanging in the Balance
No use of having some nice anti-satellite missiles if you cant use em Might send a message to China to hush about anti-satellite stuff as well. WRT Sensitive Materials, anything of use would be burned beyond belief during reentry.
SenorToenails
Veritas et Scientia
+444|6138|North Tonawanda, NY

syndicat111 wrote:

Your talking about it as if you thought it would be a good idea...
Why do you think that?
(T)eflon(S)hadow
R.I.P. Neda
+456|6837|Grapevine, TX

syndicat111 wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7245578.stm

The US military is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite due to crash land on Earth in the next few weeks, US news agency AP reports
There has been a lot of speculation that the craft contains a high quantity of hydrazine rocket fuel that would cause it to explode on re-entry
A spokesman said "numerous" satellites had come out of orbit and fallen back to Earth harmlessly over the years.
It might just be me, but I dont think avoiding another explosion due to re - entry is the only motive of blowing up this spy satellite.

Perhaps there are some things the US government might not want anyone else to find out about...?
Interesting story. Not much to discuss, sure  much to speculate on, but its the US Govt.'s toy they can do with it, what they will. So yeah, of course they don't want anyone possibly finding anything...

btw, we have blown up our own satellites from an F18... so not really anything new here.

Board footer

Privacy Policy - © 2024 Jeff Minard