U.S. official: Chinese test missile obliterates satellite
 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/0...ile/index.html


Should I be staying away from high-profile targets and airports right about now, or no?

We are not enemies with China, just rivals. It would be economic suicide for both of us if we went to war with them.

Can we match this capability?

AFAIK anti-missle defense system tests that have been reported on have generally not gone well. But anti-satellite is different (duh).

We have had the capability since the 80's its just that we didn't know they could do it till last week!

OK, I was just wondering if it was sputnik time.

This one line from that article should have worried everyone. Hundreds of missiles to destroy other spacecraft and kill astronauts. Space does not clean itself like a river used for garbage disposal. At least one shuttle flight nearly ended in disaster when a paint chip struck the windshield. Had the shuttle windshield not survived then seven more dead astronauts?

We should be calling for an end to such tests as if it was as dangerous to all humans as nuclear arms testing. The consequences of not doing so is ... well if we have the same myopic attitude of those opposed to innovation in global warming; it’s not our problem. The kids will worry about when someone finally has a plan.

There is no reason to worry about debris in space for the same reason there is no reason to worry about global warming.

I don't think anybody familar with space tech doubted for a moment that the Chinese could hit an orbiting sat with a kinetic killer if they wanted to badly enough. Apparently they wanted to: slightly modified one of their MRBMs and played Duck Hunt.

The tech we tested in the 1980s (developed in response to a 1977 USAF Space Systems Command RFP) did essentially the same thing, but could be accomplished with a missile launched from a modified F-15. This approach has the advantage of not needing to wait for the target sat's orbit to pass conveniently over your launch site as was the case for the Chinese kill...just fly the F-15 to rendezvous with a conveniant intercept launch window, and off you go.

Informed speculation is that they did this to try to force open negotiations on a space weapons treaty, like the one our resident LaRouchian tw is espousing.

Also, space does clean itself...at least LO stuff...gravity will eventually pull in the debris and it will burn up in the upper atmosphere, as we have recently sween when a piece of a Russian rocket burned up over the ocean, or was it Colorado? Someplace like that.

In the case of the ASM-135 test, "eventually" was on the order of 17 years. My understanding is that's why we stopped testing.

You should see the crap amateur radio satellites are to undergo in terms of a "debris mitigation plan" these days.

Story and further info here.

which is why so many thousands of low orbit debris must be tracked for years - upwards of a decade. It takes that long for low orbit material to fall. But this example – a warning to the world about what the United States opposes – does it fall on deaf ears? Did everyone realize how dangerous this space debris would be for all mankind? We are dependent on these birds. Already some have been lost – suspected of damage due to debris. In one case, it was believed the debris removed a solar array panel – only destroying a very expensive satellite.

What are targets of military space warfare? Medium orbit and geosynchronous orbit birds. That debris is permanent which is why nations led by smart people want space warfare banned. Anyone who believes in the advancement of mankind could only agree.

Chinese have been demanding a treaty to eliminate space warfare. A moral America would have jumped at this immediately. But that is 100% contrary to Cheney's agenda to militarize space. The negative consequences are equivalent to nuclear weapons testing. But Cheney has 'big dic' attitudes. As usual, it is the United States (only in the past 6 years) that wants to dictate to the world rather than advance it.

Meanwhile, a second consequence of this launch is the fear (and rightly so) that has gripped Japan.

Most of Asia and even the US are getting pretty edgy right now.

China's leader declined he knew about it though, weird.

a warning to the world about what the United States opposes – does it fall on deaf ears? Did everyone realize how dangerous this space debris would be for all mankind? We are dependent on these birds. Already some have been lost – suspected of damage due to debris. In one case, it was believed the debris removed a solar array panel – only destroying a very expensive satellite.



Obiously an American fault...who would have thunk that?

American and Russian. Who would have thunk otherwise?

Those who view China (and others) as monolith would never appreciate what happens in China. Whereas the central party has trouble confronting corruption in the provinces, also the central party does not always understand what the People's Army is doing.

America had the same problem in early days of the cold war. Gen Curtis LeMay would routinely send American planes into the USSR with one intent: "We are already at war with the Soviets. Americans just don't know it yet". Gen LeMay intentionally wanted to turn the cold war hot - and stated it. It took a strong leader (Kennedy) to finally put a leash on LeMay. The story is legendary.

China most certainly has a same kind of 'big dic'. If China's leadership did not know about this test, then we all have something to fear. However if this test was only to get Americans to grab their scumbag president by his balls and address a world problem; then Chinese leadership only failed to appreciate how nervous that would make the Japanese. The latter is clearly the better alternative. We can only hope and watch.

Chinese have been demanding a treaty to eliminate space warfare. A moral America would have jumped at this immediately. But that is 100% contrary to Cheney's agenda to militarize space. The negative consequences are equivalent to nuclear weapons testing. But Cheney has 'big dic' attitudes. As usual, it is the United States (only in the past 6 years) that wants to dictate to the world rather than advance it.



YAWN....HAAAAAAA....HAAAAAAA...