UNIVERSE TODAY
The shoot down of US spy satellite USA 193 was condemned by some quarters of the international community. However, the fact remains, this was a resounding success for the US military. Observers of the operation to destroy the potentially dangerous satellite likened it to "trying to fire a missile through the eye of a needle". After all, the dead satellite was orbiting at a height of about 250 km, and the satellite-killing missile was fired from a boat; assuring impact with an object the size of a small bus was never going to be easy. But the mission was a success and the satellite disintegrated into bits (no bigger than a football). Now the task of tracking the debris is under way, and the fallout from last months fireworks are impacting the scheduled launch of other space missions…
The shoot down of US spy satellite USA 193 was condemned by some quarters of the international community. However, the fact remains, this was a resounding success for the US military. Observers of the operation to destroy the potentially dangerous satellite likened it to "trying to fire a missile through the eye of a needle". After all, the dead satellite was orbiting at a height of about 250 km, and the satellite-killing missile was fired from a boat; assuring impact with an object the size of a small bus was never going to be easy. But the mission was a success and the satellite disintegrated into bits (no bigger than a football). Now the task of tracking the debris is under way, and the fallout from last months fireworks are impacting the scheduled launch of other space missions…
According to CelesTrak, there are 52 catalogued bits of USA 193 orbiting the Earth. The pieces range in altitude from 167 km (at the closest approach) to over 2,600 km (at apogee - the highest point of orbit) and they are being tracked with great accuracy
Read More at Universe Today
For a Premier and Reality Check on Space Junk and US 193,
be sure to read what James Oberg has to say HERE.
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