NationStates Jolt Archive

WASHINGTON - President Bush decided to make a first-of-its-kind attempt to use a missile to bring down a broken U.S. spy satellite because of the potential danger to people from its rocket fuel, officials said Thursday.

Deputy National Security Adviser James Jeffries, briefing reporters at the Pentagon, did not say when the attempted intercept would be conducted, but the satellite is expected to hit Earth during the first week of March.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/dead_satellite

Amazing. The world is sounding more and more like one giant Sci-Fi film with 6 billion actors and 196 directors.

I heard on the radio that the reason behind the intercept was to prevent sensitive technology from being revealed - essentially by destroying the satellite, top secret technology can remain that way.

Sounds like a waste of a rocket to me. Ram pressure will turn that satellite into a bright spot on decent before slagging it completely. The odds of it hitting anything are incredibly remote.

sounds like a publicity stunt

however I'm all for a good game of Missile Command :)

Good...If the military shoots the satellite down they won't wake up Cloverfield...

You're Welcome New York City...lousy ingrates...

Amazing. The world is sounding more and more like one giant Sci-Fi film with 6 billion actors and 196 directors.

... and all produced over budget! :D

Some Wargames, anyone?

From what I have heard from a few articles, the blast radius should be around two football fields. Even though hitting something is pretty slim, it would still cause a whole lot of damage if it did.

Add that to the secret technology and you have a pretty good incentive to shoot down a satellite.

Now all we need is a movie about it, hopefully with a plot twist.

Click Stand;13451813']

Now all we need is a movie about it, hopefully with a plot twist.

Maybe Bruce Willis is a ghost in real life?

Click Stand;13451813']
Now all we need is a movie about it, hopefully with a plot twist.

The missile misses the satellite, and heads towards a secret Soviet era automated orbital weapons platform, which intercepts it, proving that the Russians have orbital beam weapons, starting a whole new Star wars program?

Originally Posted by Yahoo!

WASHINGTON - President Bush decided to make a first-of-its-kind attempt to use a missile to bring down a broken U.S. spy satellite because of the potential danger to people from its rocket fuel, officials said Thursday.



Friggin warmonger Bush. How about we first try sanctions versus the satellite?

Hazardous rocket fuel my ass--it's a spy satellite, what else could they be destroying...?

Maybe Bruce Willis is a ghost in real life?

Somebody spoiled that movie to me...while I was watching it. I will never forgive them.:mad:

The missile misses the satellite, and heads towards a secret Soviet era automated orbital weapons platform, which intercepts it, proving that the Russians have orbital beam weapons, starting a whole new Star wars program?

They could even call it Star Wars.

Click Stand;13451813']
Now all we need is a movie about it, hopefully with a plot twist.

M NIGHT!!!!!

Friggin warmonger Bush. How about we first try sanctions versus the satellite?

Will they have some sort of rehabilitation plan this time though, for after they've shot it down?

Will they have some sort of rehabilitation plan this time though, for after they've shot it down?

They'll sweep up the pieces, squeeze out the oil and throw the rest in the trash.

Friggin warmonger Bush. How about we first try sanctions versus the satellite?
You liberals make me sick. How long is it going to take before you stop being so soft on Orbital Debris?

Hazardous rocket fuel my ass--it's a spy satellite, what else could they be destroying...?

¿Qué?

You liberals make me sick. How long is it going to take before you stop being so soft on Orbital Debris?

Hey, space junk are people too. Just because they don't look like you or speak the same language as you, doesn't make them any less human.

But you should catch a falling star and put it in your pocket. Save it for a rainy day.

Click Stand;13451813']Now all we need is a movie about it, hopefully with a plot twist.

The Democrats are allergic to water?

But you should catch a falling star and put it in your pocket. Save it for a rainy day.
"...a dying, bus-sized U.S. spy satellite..."
That must be one Hell of a pocket you've got.

In b4 the rocket misses and hits Moscow.

In b4 the rocket misses and hits Moscow.
Ibt rocket misses and hits a Russian spy satellite and the falling satellite hits Moscow.

Ib4 rocket misses and hits a Russian spy satellite and the falling satellite hits Moscow.
Ooooh, good.

Hey, space junk are people too. Just because they don't look like you or speak the same language as you, doesn't make them any less human.Next you'll say soylent green is people and deserves rights because it's human...

I heard on the radio that the reason behind the intercept was to prevent sensitive technology from being revealed - essentially by destroying the satellite, top secret technology can remain that way.

I don't think that a satellite that malfunctioned since the beginning can be named "sensitive top secret tech".

A rather transparent and predictable excuse to show off our ABM technology, but smarter and more diplomatic than usual for the bush government.

This sounds like a job for Clint Eastwood!

This sounds like a job for Clint Eastwood!

Fuck that. Chuck Norris can roundhouse kick it back into orbit.

Hazardous rocket fuel my ass--it's a spy satellite, what else could they be destroying...?

Actually, given how it would likely respond to reentry without heat shields, there would likely not be all that much to worry about surviving, and given that (from the early estimates I'd read) this guy was likely to come down over North America, this would actually seem to be the sort of thing that wouldn't be much of a concern.

Hazardous rocket fuel my ass--it's a spy satellite, what else could they be destroying...?

Stupid-

the point isn't that we are destroying this particular satellite, the point is that we get to flex our ABM might to the Chinese and the Russians.

A side benefit might be convincing rubes in foreign intelligence that we have something so super secret and indestructible that we absolutely have to use some kind of secret super destructive missile to annihilate it, and getting them to waste money and man hours worrying about it.

Hazardous rocket fuel my ass--it's a spy satellite, what else could they be destroying...?The satellite has the "tapes" of the Jets-Patriots game. :D :D :p :D

"It carried a sophisticated and secret imaging sensor."

There's the real reason for all this.

How can you people be ridiculing this?
The government is saving us from the coming zombie apocalypse.

Night of the living dead aside, its a good way to show a AEGIS cruiser can take out a satellite (thus giving a not so subtle encouragement against certain countries investing in putting military assets in space) as well as a minor hint at long range missile interception.

Stupid-

the point isn't that we are destroying this particular satellite, the point is that we get to flex our ABM might to the Chinese and the Russians.

A side benefit might be convincing rubes in foreign intelligence that we have something so super secret and indestructible that we absolutely have to use some kind of secret super destructive missile to annihilate it, and getting them to waste money and man hours worrying about it.


The Philosophy of SDI in action...

The Philosophy of SDI in action...
Reagan...he lives?

If we shoot at the satellite and completely miss, how much will we look like idiots?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/dead_satellite

Amazing. The world is sounding more and more like one giant Sci-Fi film with 6 billion actors and 196 directors.

What could possibly go wrong?


:eek:

If we shoot at the satellite and completely miss, how much will we look like idiots?
Why would anybody be told that you've missed?

If we shoot at the satellite and completely miss, how much will we look like idiots?

None, we'd just fire a secondary missile.

None, we'd just fire a secondary missile.

My guess is the U.S on;t built one missile, and then destroyed the plans. There may only be one.

Click Stand;13454502']My guess is the U.S on;t built one missile, and then destroyed the plans. There may only be one.
[General James Cartwright] said that if an initial shoot-down attempt fails, the military would have about two days to reassess and decide whether to take a second shot.
Nope.

If we miss twice, how big of an idiot will we look like?
To reiterate -

Why would they tell anyone?

"MOSCOW IN FLAMES!"

*ring ring*

"Was a meteorite, Vlad, and we'll send some technicians over to fix up your aircraft carriers"
"Sounds good"

None, we'd just fire a secondary missile.

If we miss twice, how big of an idiot will we look like?

Fuck that. Chuck Norris can roundhouse kick it back into orbit.

I see your Chuck Norris and raise you one Bruce Lee.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/dead_satellite

Amazing. The world is sounding more and more like one giant Sci-Fi film with 6 billion actors and 196 directors.

This is probably to show China that the US can shoot down satellites like they can.

Reagan...he lives?

Sort of... (http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m242/soapblox/zombie-reagan.jpg)