 |
|||
|
|
|
 U.S., Russian Satellites Collide, Go BoomPosted on Feb 11, 2009
It’s getting crowded in space. A U.S. telecommunications satellite and a defunct Russian satellite smacked into each other in orbit over Siberia on Tuesday. According to NASA, no one was to blame for the unprecedented collision: “We don’t have an air traffic controller in space.” What we do have in space, now, is roughly 600 pieces of former satellite that could pose a risk to other orbiting objects, including the International Space Station. Thought experiment: Imagine if this had happened at the height of the Cold War.
Advertisement CommentsAre you a Truthdig member yet? Login now, or register with Truthdig. Add Your Comment |
Krugman to Playboy: Economic Crisis ‘Doesn’t Have to Be Happening’
Email
Print
Share
Digg
Facebook
TwitThis
StumbleUpon
Reddit
YahooBuzz
Email
BlinkList
del.icio.us
Fark
Furl
Google
LinkedIn
Mixx
MyShare
NewsVine
Propeller
SphereIt
Technorati
YahooMyWeb
Newsletter 
Become a Fan
Follow Us
Subscribe
Tags|Bazaar|Podcast|About Us|Contact Us|User Agreement|Privacy Policy|FAQ: Comments and Moderation
Copyright © 2012 Truthdig, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
By Leefeller, February 12, 2009 at 4:31 pm Link to this comment
When I was a kid, I always remember a prestigious magazine had a section on hauling all our garbage and trash to the moon. Is MAD Mag. still around?
Report thisBy PatrickHenry, February 12, 2009 at 4:20 pm Link to this comment
Time to build a major space station like in the movies.
Report thisBy Mark, February 12, 2009 at 10:42 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)
Per Answers.com, the Iridium system cost Motorola and others $5 billion dollars to launch.
Then the bottom fell out. The phones were bulky, service was unreliable at the start, and the service charges were steep.
Motorola sold the system to its current owners, a Bethesda, Md. based LLC for $25 million. No, that’s not a typo.
Per the NY Times circa 2001, the deal was facilitated by a 2 year, $72 million contract for the new owner with the Dept. of Defense.
The DoD remains a loyal customer to this day.
Report thisBy Leefeller, February 12, 2009 at 9:07 am Link to this comment
Those darn Russians, blowing up our satellite over Siberia, what nerve.
Report thisBy Thomas Mc, February 12, 2009 at 9:03 am Link to this comment
“Collision”? Yeah right.
Report thisRussian satellites are built with self destruct devices, aka killer satellites. When in proximity to their target, they can be detonated to destroy both.
By Blackspeare, February 12, 2009 at 7:48 am Link to this comment
The collision was between a defunct Russian satellite and an Iridium communication satellite. The Iridium satellite is one of a series of low altitude devices used for satellite phones mainly by the US military. What is interesting is that the Iridium satellites were originally a precursor to Reagan’s SDI.
But not to worry there have been 3 or 4 other satellite collisons——no big deal really——space junk is being tracked.
Report thisBy Leefeller, February 12, 2009 at 6:54 am Link to this comment
Wait until the shit starts falling from the sky, Chicken Little may have had a point. If I were king, my kingdom would send up hundreds of bowling balls, just for the hell of it.
Report thisBy hippy pam, February 12, 2009 at 6:17 am Link to this comment
I can see the headlines now…....
XXXXXX[insert name] was struck and injured/killed by “space junk” as he/she stepped out the door to retrieve the morning newspaper….Friends and family state that she/he has been despondent since losing his/her job and insurance.The incident is being investigated in order to assign culpability.No suspects are in custody at this time.No suicide note was found at the scene…..
Report thisBy skulz fontaine, February 12, 2009 at 2:47 am Link to this comment
In space, no one can hear you scream “watch where you’re going!” And throwing some other driver the ‘finger’ while donned in a cramped space suit takes all the joy out of flipping some bonehead off for inadequate driving skills.
Report thisBy Russian Paul, February 12, 2009 at 12:43 am Link to this comment
Well I hope this isn’t some sort of ominous harbinger of what’s to come - but it might be if US continues to cling to this foolish missile shield in Poland…and continues to try and NATOize all the former soviet states which are already almost all run by US puppets…
Report this