Broken Satellite is a ploy to test New Space Missile Technology

[The Sushi Bandit]

The Dept of Defense says that they must try to shoot down an errant spy satellite top protect people from its rocket fuel.

Well, don't believe it! This is a bunch of BS to cover for testing a new anti-satellite ship launched missile. They don't want the russians or Chinese to know about it so they produce a phony reason to get the world to say "thanks for protecting us"! It is realy just a TARGET!

[Trajan]

1. I just said as much ....

And, it is a reasonable conclusion ....

[Poll_Blind]

2. From what I've read about the possible damage from the satellite, I agree.

  Very low chances of crashing in a populated area and the fuel onboard would only make a toxic cloud 100-200 yards before dissipating. I'm not pro-toxic clouds or anything but given those odds it does seem much less imperative that the U.S. shoot it down.

  Of course they'll try anyway- and miss. And they'll probably claim that they hit it, or went off near it or patially blew it up.

  Since we still can't even hit incoming test missiles with our missile defense- even when the target missiles have homing beacons on them- it seems unlikely that we're going to be able to destroy this satellite- even if we had the same homing capabilities.

PB

[Arctic Dave]

9. ?

If they were worried about toxic clouds, what about the missle. I don't think the propellent from that would be any less toxic

[Lint Head]

3. And Bush said... Let's just blow everything the hell up!

Down nair in Take-sez we blow things up real goooood! One nim nair oral well fars. We blowed it up wit dynomite. He, he, he ,he. Sounded like a new-cu-lear splozun. :dem:

[Orrex]

4. Well, it's not too subtle, is it?

I would have assumed that the Russians and Chinese would immediately recognize it as anti-satellite technology. I mean, why wouldn't they?

[Lint Head]

5. Two space shuttles have blown up.

In the second disaster most of the debris was destroyed or consumed in the atmosphere. Some chunks fell but not in populated areas.
I heard of people finding bits of it. A phone number was posted in Texas by NASA to call when debris was found.
This is a facade. :dem:

[sjdnb]

6. Yeah, I got the whole 'star wars' thing

when the first few words left his mouth. But, given we've been rendered impotent to date, what is anyone proposing we do about it? ... The powers that be will do what the powers want. It's just the way it is, for now. And, it will take a lot more than one President to make it any different.

[Eric J in MN]

7. Whether they hit or miss, they can say that we need to make space more militarized...

...to blow up more falling satellites.

It's a cover for a program to blow up normal satellites.

[Breeze54]

8. I think they're trying to cover up something nefarious ON that satellite

They may also be combining a system test but I think there's a lot more to this issue.

I don't trust them as far as I can throw them and that's not even a possibility.

[Kool Kitty]

13. That's what I was thinking, too.

[Breeze54]

14. .........

"Good minds think alike!" (or a quote something like that!) ;)

[Singular73]

10. Geopolicically, I think this is a good move.

Good clean show of force against the Chinese.

I actually like it.

If Clinton/Obama did this, I would applaud them.

[Eric J in MN]

11. I don't want it be considered a legitmate part of war...

...for countries at war to blow up satellites which may be useful to the other country.

Among other problems with this, the satellite which gets blown up may have a dozen civilian uses unrelated to the war.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

12. Sure it is.

This administration grabs its geo-political balls more than The WuTang Clan.