Defunct Spy Satellite Falling From Orbit 312
dnormant, among other readers, sent us word that a US spy satellite has lost power and propulsion and could hit the Earth in late February or March. Government officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret. None of the coverage speculates on how big the satellite is, but Wikipedia claims that US spy satellites in the KH-11 class, launched up to the mid-90s, are about the size of the Hubble — which is 13 meters long and weighs over 11,000 kg. "The satellite, which no longer can be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where on the planet it might come down... A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations are being kept apprised of the situation."
Re:Jesus... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not as if it's hard for the Russians/Chinese/etc to figure out where our satellites are. That's why the SR-71 was considered so valuable for so long - you didn't know days in advance when one was going to show up.
Re:U.S. Secrets more important than human lives? (Score:0, Insightful)
If it lands anywhere else, then it's tough luck for the sub-human foreigners who should all be rounded up and shot anyway.
Has anyone else noted how similar we now sound to the Russians at the height of the Cold War?
Re:Hazardous Material (Score:2, Insightful)
There's maybe some interesting signal intelligence stuff on it, but I can't imagine any software surviving.
Reboot problems ? (Score:2, Insightful)
Wed Mar 7, 2007 10:17 AM IST
By Andrea Shalal-Esa
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials are likely to declare a Lockheed
Martin Corp. spy satellite a total loss after efforts to restore its
ability to communicate failed repeatedly over the past three months,
two defense officials told Reuters on Tuesday.
The experimental L-21 classified satellite, built for the National
Reconnaissance Office (NRO) at a cost of hundreds of millions of
dollars, was launched successfully on Dec. 14 but has been out of
touch since reaching its low-earth orbit.
Limited data received from the satellite indicated that its on-board
computer tried rebooting several times, but those efforts failed, said
one official, who is knowledgeable about the program and spoke on
condition of anonymity.
The satellite carried sophisticated cameras to take high-resolution
pictures and test equipment intended for use on the broader Future
Imagery Architecture (FIA) program, in which both Boeing Co. and
Lockheed are involved.
Its failure raises questions about the schedule for the already-much-
delayed FIA program, which was due to launch a first satellite in two
to three years, analysts said.
One of the defense officials acknowledged the satellite's failure was
"not helpful."
"It's part of an overarching architecture. When you're trying to move
forward on several dimensions, it can't help accomplish those goals,"
the official said.
The other official said he expected schedule adjustments, but no major
delays, as a result of the NRO satellite failure.
"It might impact the schedule for introduction of new technologies,"
he added.
Another government official said he was unaware of any changes to the
FIA program as a result of the satellite issue.
Lockheed, prime contractor for the experimental NRO satellite,
declined to comment. The NRO, which designs, builds and operates
reconnaissance satellites for the U.S. military and intelligence
communities, also had no comment.
One of the defense officials said the issue with the satellite
involved the computer that runs it, not the new sensors that it was
meant to test.
"The failure has nothing to do with anything new. It happened with a
set of components
official.
Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer with the Harvard- Smithsonian Center
For Astrophysics, said the satellite's software problems raised
questions about the adequacy of testing and oversight by the
contractors and the Air Force.
"The question is why was this software failure not caught in ground
test before launch," McDowell said, noting that oversight was
particularly challenging in classified programs.
He said the satellite's software woes were reminiscent of those
experienced by the Mars rover named Spirit, which was out of
communication for more than two weeks after it landed on Mars in
January 2004 because its flash disk kept filling up, prompting the
computer system to crash repeatedly.
Engineers finally solved the problem by sending a command to the
computer to clear the disk, enabling a successful rebooting of the
system, he said."
http://sci.tech-archive.net/Archive/sci.space.policy/2007-03/msg00261.html
Insurance (Score:5, Insightful)
So it's every geek for themselves!
I believe the clause was written in years ago when Sputnik fell to Earth. That goes for meteors, blue ice, rocket stages and acts of God (whatever that means).
Nuclear Powered = Plutonium (Score:3, Insightful)
I'd like to think that the designers, when they designed the satellite, realized that re-entering a chunk of Plutonium was a bad idea and designed a mechanism to eject it in an escape orbit. Hopefully it's now-uncontrolled orbit is due to the ejection of said nuclear material.
BTW, I like the way the article mentioned "beryllium" as the hazardous material. Beryllium and copper used to be used to make golf clubs, and you can still find BeCu clubs on eBay today. I highly doubt that anyone would issue a press release warning about 10 tons of old Ping BeCu clubheads hurtling towards us from space. But it's fun to read nonetheless.