Falling Spy Satellite

Guide Note: A U.S. spy satellite which contains about 1,000 pounds of the fuel hydrazine lost power and communications shortly after launch on December 14, 2006. It could not maintain orbit and was expected to fall to Earth in March of 2008. Because of potentially toxic fuel hydrazine in its tanks, the U.S. military shot down the satellite February 20, 2008.

Fast Facts:

1. Satellite number: USA 193
2. Designated NROL-21
3. Weight: 5,015 lbs.
4. About as big as a bus
5. Carrying 1,000 lbs. of hydrazine

Fast Shootdown Facts:

1. Shootdown location: southwest of Hawaii
2. Shootdown altitude: 149 miles
3. Speed at shootdown: 22,783 mph
4. Ships firing: USS Lake Erie, USS Decatur
5. Missiles used: Lockheed's Aegis system
6. Time: 10:30 PM EST

Fast Hydrazine Facts:

1. Common rocket fuel element
2. Also found in tobacco smoke, pesticides, photo chemicals, dyes
3. Carcinogen
4. Toxic even at low levels
5. Toxic effects: skin burns, breathing problems, dizziness, blindness, headache, nausea, coma

Fast Falling Satellite Facts:

1. The odds of being struck by a piece of falling space debris is 1/1,000,000,000,000

• Also try: Falling Spy Satellite Video | John Locker | Anti-Satellite Weapons | Militarization of Space

The Mahalo Top 7

1. YouTube: Rogue Spy Satellite Blast (Time 1:06)
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2. Wikipedia: USA 193
3. Heavens Above: Decaying spy satellite USA 193
4. FOXNews.com: Navy Shoots Down Wayward Satellite (February 21, 2008)
   • The U.S. Navy successfully shot down the satellite as it was passing over the Pacific around 10:30 PM EST on Wed., February 20.
5. SatTrackCam Leiden Station (B)Log: USA 193 imminent decay in the news (January 27, 2008)
   • The Honolulu FAA Control Facility issued a notice that airspace southwest of Hawaii would be closed between 9:30pm Wednesday and 12:30am Thursday Eastern Standard Time. Many bloggers assume the airspace is being shut down so the U.S. military can shoot down the falling spy satellite
6. Astroprof's Page: Shooting down USA-193  
7. LiveScience: Satellite Shoot Down: How It Will Work (February 19, 2008)

Falling Spy Satellite News

• Topix: Falling Spy Satellite
• Google News: Falling Spy Satellite
• CNN: Military: Satellite's downing worked as planned (February 25, 2008)
• USATODAY.com: Pentagon: No Danger From Downed Satellite (February 23, 2008)  
  • "Whitman said there were no indications of danger posed by falling debris, some of which already has re-entered the atmosphere. Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said on Thursday that they had detected no debris larger than a football, and Whitman said that as of Friday that statement remained true."

• New York Times: "An Errant Satellite Is Gone, but Questions Linger" (February 22, 2008)  
• FOXNews.com: Satellite-Debris Recovery Team Ready for Action (February 22, 2008)
• New York Times: "Missile Strikes a Spy Satellite Falling From Its Orbit" (February 21, 2008)  
• YouTube: US Shoots Down Failed Spy Satellite (Time 0:59)
• FOXNews.com: Navy Shoots Down Wayward Satellite (February 21, 2008)
• YouTube: FEMA rescue teams around country for satellite shootdown (Time 2:54)
• The Sydney Morning Herald: Rogue Satellite Faces a Violent End (February 20, 2008)  
  • "To be fired from a US warship in the North Pacific Ocean, the missile is expected to collide with the satellite at a combined speed of 35,000 kmh. It is hoped it will smash the satellite apart, rupturing the fuel tank and letting its hydrazine spill into space."
• Philadelphia Inquirer: "Moorestown's Lockheed has role in satellite shooting" (February 19, 2008)
• Engadget: Disabled spy satellite photographed over Japan (February 19, 2008)
• The Sydney Morning Herald: Australia Prepares for Falling Satellite (February 18, 2008)  
• International Herald Tribune: Missile-ready China warns U.S. against plan to destroy spy satellite (February 18, 2008)
• CNN: Sources: Navy to shoot down failed satellite Thursday (February 18, 2008)
• BBC NEWS: US Spy Satellite Plan 'A Cover' (February 17, 2008)
• The Washington Times: "Satellite shoot-down shows missile muscle" (February 15, 2008)  
• MSNBC: Q& - Destroying a broken spy satellite (February 14, 2008)
• FoxNews.com: Pentagon Plans to Shoot Down Failing Satellite (February 13, 2008)
  • John Pike, defense and intelligence expert: "To have our most sophisticated radar intelligence satellite — have big pieces of it fall into [Chinese or Russian] hands — would not be our preferred outcome."
• New York Times: "Satellite Spotters Glimpse Secrets, and Tell Them" (February 5, 2008)  
• New York Times: "U.S. Spy Satellite Is Said to Be Falling From Orbit" (January 26, 2008) 
  • NSA Spokesman Gordon Johndroe: "Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation...We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause."
• BBC News: Satellite could plummet to Earth (January 26, 2008)
  • The satellite, about which no specific details were given, has lost power and propulsion.

Falling Spy Satellite Blogs

• Google Blog Search: Falling Spy Satellite
• Bad Astronomy Blog: Blowing up a spy satellite (February 19, 2008)  
• Milcom Monitoring Post: All posts tagged USA 193
• SatTrackCam Leiden Station (B)log: All posts tagged USA 193
• And Still I Persist: Shooting Down USA 193 - My Best Guess (UPDATED) (February 16, 2008)

Falling Spy Satellite Background

• NASA: USA 193
• Wikipedia: USA 193
• Astroprof's Page: Hydrazine
• Wikipedia: Hydrazine

Falling Spy Satellite Opinion and Commentary

• Houston Chronicle: Interception of falling spy satellite demonstrates the flexibility... (February 22, 2008)
• TuscaloosaNews.com: U.S. need not play at space cowboy (February 22, 2008)  
• WashingtonPost.com: George Bush, Space Cowboy (February 21, 2008)  
• Wired: Lewis: Don't Shoot the Spy Sat (February 19, 2008)
• The Flint Journal: Why don't I feel safe with U.S. plan to pop satellite? (February 19, 2008)
• The News Journal: There's more to satellite downing than conspiracy (February 18, 2008)
• National Review Online: Aim High (February 19, 2008)
• Hartford Courant: Oh, Like You Could Shoot Down A Spy Satellite (February 17, 2008)  
• ArmsControlWonk: USA 193 Comes Down (January 27, 2008)

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