The Aegis you mention is located in the Washington Navy Yard, 5 miles from the Pentagon, you can see it when you drive over the Fredrick Douglas bridge.

Personally I find it hard to believe this is the first satellite falling back to earth. In fact I’m sure it isn’t. I’m equally sure all the previous falls have had as much or more dangerous stuff on them. I understand there’s a whole room-full of trackers solely dedicated to keeping track of all the stuff, dead or otherwise flying around up there.

When Bush resurrected Reagan’s failed Missile Defense plan, it was still a failure. And unless I missed something, it pretty much still is. That and Canada has expressed irritation that every test threatens them. And I wouldn’t be surprised if a few other countries have as well. But damn, little george has to prove to the world he was right! Well at least he has to prove to himself he was right. This looks like the perfect opportunity.

This is the first time in my memory we have been told about a satellite getting ready to fall back to earth, so far in advance. When as mentioned, I don’t think it is the first. Such a sad commentary on the state of our government, when no matter what happens, or what they say, or why they say they say it ... we simply cant accept ANYTHING they say at face value!

Now, I wonder ... will george be back in town when this missile fires? Or did he decide he better not be ... just in case.

It’s hard to get solid reporting on this, but the following is not bad: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/feb2008/sate-f16.shtml
They make one mistake, I think: they claim the AEGIS has never had an opportunity to perform antiballistic maneuvers in a real world situtation.  I think there was an AEGIS parked in Chesapeake Bay not far from the Pentagon on 9/11/01

......what the excuse will be when they miss.

I look at it as shooting a couple of new elementary schools into space.

•  China conducted its first successful test of an anti-satellite (ASAT) weapon on Jan. 11, 2007, in what defense and military officials called a new strategic threat to the United States.

This is like so much bullshit. China conducted this test over a year ago. Maybe they just don’t want US satellites spying on them. How does this turn into a strategic threat to the US, and how does it connect to the fact that the US sent this satellite up, and the thing was apparently DOA, and now they’ve gotta get it down.

Now if China’s test proved that they could shoot down a satellite on the other side of the globe, (like a US satellite in the general vicinity of North America) then there might be a problem. I don’t think that’s what their test revealed, but that would be pretty damn scientifically impressive for ANYBODY to come up with. Just shoot off an ASAT weapon in China, and have it hit a US Satellite in the vicinity of North America. Puhleeze.

Meantime, we obviously can’t even manage to send one up that is operational. Wonder where THOSE parts were manufactured? Unless they sent it up there to get some ‘intelligence’ on a new source of WATER, then it was a flippin’ waste of money.