Astra 1K Communications Satellite now Space Junk

bachelor#3 writes "Astra 1K, which was to replace 3 other satellites, didn't make it. Launch services were being provided by International Launch Services. Here's a timeline, from T-minus 30 minutes onwards."

"No Danger"

[redfiche]

Quoting from the article:

"Both the satellite and the booster will after a while fall back to Earth. Both will burn with maybe small bits reaching the Earth's surface, depending on what materials the satellite was made of," Kreidenko said. "But there is no danger."

Just how sure are they that there is no danger? I'd rather not be hit by a 200mph pebble of debris...

Iridium

[Gary Franczyk]

Thats nothing! Compare that to Iridium, which had 66 satellites that became space junk shortly after being launched. :-)

WooHOo

[esac17]

MOSCOW, Russia (Reuters) -- Russia has failed to put a five-tonne European communications satellite properly into orbit and it will now circle uselessly until it eventually falls back to Earth, space officials said.

Nice, does that mean we will have another chance at free tacos from taco bell! ??

Contributions Anyone?

[Mister_Personality]

If this was done by the same folks who handle the "Rich Bastards Go To Space" missions I am more then willing to contribute to Lance Bass ticket. Either that or my tasteless, N'Synch loving kid. Makes no difference which of them ends up stranded in orbit awaiting a painful reentry just so long as SOMEONE MAKES IT STOP! Anyone else have a buck to spare to ease my plight?

Re:Space Junk is like Earth Junk

[Anonymous Coward]

Dude you are a freakin dumbass.

Space is a LOT bigger than earth. Like 10 times bigger or something... at LEAST!

It's a conspiracy!

[bcwalrus]

You can't even send a satelite to its orbit, and you're telling me that we landed on the thing called "moon"?!

A job for Salvage 1

[xsfo]

This really is a job for Salvage 1 [geocities.com]!

Re:An "anomaly", huh

[Archfeld]

LOL

We should just take all the nay-sayers and throw them off the edge of the earth.
The Flat Earth Society would gladly provide help. They are as anxious as we are to get rid of the crackpots :)

A little perspective, please

[Siriaan]

You see, it goes like this: Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. You may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space.

Re:Cheaper?

[Mister_Personality]

Oh sure... Nothing a couple hundred feet of rope and a "Satellite In Tow" sign won't fix.

Re:WooHOo

[Mister_Personality]

*runs outside and mounts a bulls-eye on the roof* Whew... Disaster averted.

I believe you have my stappler.

[SHEENmaster]

And if you don't return it I'll blow up the satelite; I swear!

To Russia With Love

[Orne]

A Russian State Commission is being formed to determine the reasons for the anomaly.

If there's one thing the United States taught Russia right about our form of democracy, it's bureaucracy...

Re:It's a conspiracy!

[Natchswing]

> You can't even send a satelite to its orbit, and you're telling me that we landed on the thing called "moon"?!

"... but that would belittle the name of our moon, which is 'The Moon' "

"Point is, we're at the center, not you."

Re:in case of slashdotting:

[cyril3]

Gripping stuff.

I was on the edge of my seat till the end.

Someone will make a film of it I'm sure.

Re:Cheaper?

[Bob Loblaw]

Not without a place to put his fulcrum he won't!

separately from its payload?

[ceswiedler]

Kreidenko said a secondary booster, which was due to propel the satellite to a higher altitude, had malfunctioned and was circling the earth separately from its payload.

This is a very funny way of saying, "the damn booster just broke off and flew away on its own."

Re:Yeah?

[mduell]

Like, what are the chances of flipping heads 10 times in a row (maybe 1 in 500)? And I know I could figure that out, but I'm too lazy at the moment.

Oh come on! 2^10 is 1024! Every geek should know that! 1/1024 for 10 consecutive heads...

Listen to Alf, dude...

[Cheese Cracker]

With Iridium it is much cheaper to call phone-phone. Landline LD to an Iridium phone is abour $10/min. whereas Iridium to Iridium is about $1/min.

With 10-10-220 [1010220.com], you could talk up to 20 minutes, anywhere in the U.S. and to Canada for just 99. I'm sure Iridium serve some purpose, but not for city slickers. ;)

Re:To Russia With Love

[nurightshu]

And brutal suppression of dissent.

Our three surviving legacies will be bureaucracy, corruption, and brutal suppression of dissent!

Let me start again...No one expects the Soviet Revolution!

"software glitch" now suspected as cause

[mkweise]

According to the Moscow Times [themoscowtimes.com]: "Kreidenko said in a telephone interview that a glitch in the software that controls the DM-3 may have caused the failure."

Well, at least the russians don't get inches mixed up with centimeters like *some* space agencies have been known to...

Re:Secretivity...

[mikerich]

Oh, great. So every time a shuttle gets launched, that's another couple more spy satelites watching me. I feel safer already. :)

I wouldn't worry, a billion of your tax dollars are being 'well spent' carrying girders up to the ISS [nasa.gov] so that they'll have something to attach other girders to in the future.

When I put it like that the ISS sounds like a colossal waste of money. Perhaps I should mention all the really useful science going on up there - umm... err... ahem...

Still, I'm sure its a very nice girder - the Rolls Royce of girders, the sort of girder that Harrods would offer to their clientele should they be in the building trade.

Best wishes,
Mike.