|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
DoD Succeeds In Intercepting Non-Functioning Satellite (Forwarded)
Public Affairs
U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense Washington, D.C. Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132 IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2008 No. 0139-08 DoD Succeeds In Intercepting Non-Functioning Satellite A network of land-, air-, sea- and spaced-based sensors confirms that the U.S. military intercepted a non-functioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite which was in its final orbits before entering the earth's atmosphere. At approximately 10:26 p.m. EST today, a U.S. Navy AEGIS warship, the USS Lake Erie (CG-70), fired a single modified tactical Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) hitting the satellite approximately 247 kilometers (133 nautical miles) over the Pacific Ocean as it traveled in space at more than 17,000 mph. USS Decatur (DDG-73) and USS Russell (DDG-59) were also part of the task force. The objective was to rupture the fuel tank to dissipate the approximately 1,000 pounds (453 kg) of hydrazine, a hazardous fuel which could pose a danger to people on earth, before it entered into earth's atmosphere. Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours. Due to the relatively low altitude of the satellite at the time of the engagement, debris will begin to re-enter the earths atmosphere immediately. Nearly all of the debris will burn up on reentry within 24-48 hours and the remaining debris should re-enter within 40 days. DoD will conduct a press briefing at 7 a.m. EST to provide further information related to the operation. The briefing can be viewed live on www.Defenselink.com through the Pentagon Channel. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
for Neal the importance's royal, for example me it's neat, whereas on behalf of you it's functioning additional | Excelsior[_2_] | Amateur Astronomy | 0 | November 18th 07 04:31 PM |
Hayabusa Succeeds in Observing the 'Opposition Surge' of Itokawa | [email protected] | News | 0 | October 27th 05 05:14 PM |
Functioning online sky survey? | Bjørn Sørheim | Astronomy Misc | 2 | March 24th 05 10:55 PM |
Functioning online sky survey? | Bjørn Sørheim | Amateur Astronomy | 3 | March 24th 05 10:55 PM |
Nothing succeeds like... | Allen Thomson | Policy | 0 | February 13th 04 03:44 PM |