U.S. official: Chinese test missile obliterates satellite

[xoxoxoBruce]

Today's paper said the junk might endanger the Hubble.

[glatt]

Today's paper had a lot more information.

The cloud of debris from this collision is actually two clouds, each roughly following the previous orbit of each satellite, because it was a glancing impact. Military radar picked up roughly 700 pieces of debris larger than 4 inches, but experts estimate that there are millions of smaller pieces not seen by the radar.

They expect that the debris field will continue to spread, and some of the debris will get as high as 1000 or 1500 miles of altitude.

The most amazing thing I saw in the article was this quote.

Johnson said that four or five satellites a day pass within 300 yards of debris or some other satellite.

[Griff]

From what I've read, now that we've had one very unlikely collison the odds get better for another. They will snowball as debris takes out satellites, creating more debris, taking out more satellites... Basically the human race is trapping itself on earth. We need a clean up effort.

[tw]

Originally Posted by Griff

They will snowball as debris takes out satellites, creating more debris, taking out more satellites... Basically the human race is trapping itself on earth. We need a clean up effort.

Dwayne Hickman (aka Dobie Gillis) did a TV show where he was captain of a spaceship that collected garbage. The show was far fetched. The concept not so absurd considering how legal it is to fill space with debris.

The collision of two spacecraft means debris has been ejected in numerous other directions. These two spacecraft apparently struck at right angles to each other. Debris is a threat to every other spacecraft, in part, because nobody knows yet where some of it has been redirected.

[glatt]

At least this dead bird fell out of the sky before it reached orbit. It sucks that it died though.

NASA Satellite Crashes Before Reaching Orbit

A NASA satellite designed to monitor carbon dioxide emissions with unprecedented accuracy failed to reach orbit and crashed into the Indian Ocean near Antarctica this morning.

"To say that it's extremely disappointing would be an understatement. This was a really important science mission," said a dismayed Ed Weiler, NASA's associate administrator for science.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Today's paper said the junk might endanger the Hubble.

That would be a sad thing indeed.