• 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

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Falling Spy Satellite Video | NSA | John Locker | Anti-Satellite Weapons | Militarization of Space

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