ASTRA 1K De-orbited

dda writes "Following the story about ASTRA 1K launch failure: Early this morning, it has been de-orbited over the pacific ocean, due to the rapid degradation of the satellite, coupled to the technical difficulties and risks associated with such a mission, according to the SES-ASTRA operator."

"De-orbit"

[BigChigger]

geez now we use politcally correct terms for satellites getting cratered.

BC

Re:In Soviet Russia...

[presearch]

Yeah, I know the pattern. We all do by now.
I was attempting to diffuse poor humor by not
following the expected format, considering that Russia
was actually relevant to the thread. Nyet!

doh?

[Noodlenose]

Sigh.

Isn't there any safe method to get those birds up in the sky? Where is Kim Stanley Robinson's Space Elevator when you need it...

Space elevators?

[hollow_man]

Actually it wasn't KSR who introduced the space elevator. Arthur C. Clarke had popularized it before in his novel Fountains of Paradise [sfsite.com]. In his foreword he credits Yuri Artsutanov who wrote about Space Elevators in Pravda in the 1960s.

Trash

[Profane Motherfucker]

Scenario: I'm out boating. I decide to take a few tons of heavy metals, computer components, batteries, and corrosion resistant materials and just toss the fucking loot into the ocean.

Before doing this, I make a press release entitled:
LISTEN HERE HIZZOS! I AM DUMPING ILLEGAL SHIT INTO THE OCEAN!

Why don't space companies have to clean up after their fucking messes? I want to throw shit into the ocean too! Look at the trouble that Carnival got into about dumping trash. This isn't trash too? Granted, it's not diseases feces and medical waste along with food, but I cannot imagine the ocean really needs more garbage tossed into it.

Re: Trash

[oni]

Who do you propose they pay?

Re: Trash

[Profane Motherfucker]

Pay whomever cleans it up.

Re: Trash

[oni]

Your naivety is amusing. There is no one who can find, let alone recover that satellite - assuming any of it survived.