US, Russian satellites collide in space

Russia Today: http://www.russiatoday.com/scitech/news/37171
February 12, 2009, 6:45
US, Russian satellites collide in space
Two communication satellites - one Russian, one American - have collided in space some 800 kilometres above Siberia. It's the first crash of its kind, but NASA says it doesn't pose a threat to the International Space Station.
The accident occurred on Tuesday, creating a massive explosion with much debris scattering through space. Its still unclear what caused the collision, which has become the first-ever involving two intact satellites.

The privately-owned American satellite - Iridium - was launched in 1997 and used for satellite telephone networks. The Russian Cosmos satellite was launched in 1993 and, according to NASA and Pentagon officials, had been non-operational for about 10 years.

According to NASA, debris creates some small risk to the ISS, which is located below the orbit where the accident took place. However, it will take several weeks before the full magnitude of the collision is determined.

There have been minor collisions in space before, but the scale of this crash is unprecedented. The satellites - one weighing about a tonne, the other almost 600 kilogrammes crashed at a speed of 670 km per minute.
Officials said the incident will be investigated and analysed.

Officals note that there are many hundreds of satellites in space and no road rules regarding their orbits, therefore some people believe such accidents could have been expected.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Russia
• US
• satellite
• collision

[pongoose77]

The fact that was a spy sat is obvious . Because defunk 10 year old sat have an exact orbit . How it can get in the way of a working so called private satelite would have been prevented. The russian so called dead satelites are not dead they wait on standby to be shifted in the path of hostile nations spy satelites. A very good blocking tactic and totaly effective . Just like chess played with satelites .

[lepricoun]

bulshit of propoganda

[italicus84]

if the altitude is over 800km, it will take more than 200 years for the atmospheric drag to deorbit a dead satellite.

[boobear19962007]

dam space junk...I will sue nasa asssss if it harms one of my family members

[george7378]

Why is everyone commenting about how there are hundreds of inactive satellites clogging up various orbital betrhs? If small thrust modifications aren't made (the satellite is inactive) it will enter the Earth's atmosphere soon enough anyway...

[EvolutionyFactor]

I don't care what the sell-outs at the 'ministry of funny hand shakes' do. Human evolution never has been, nor ever will be a determining factor in the desire of these robberbarons.

I pity the element within society that thinks it's better that the rest of Beings on this Planet.

Sick about what exactly my brother A3C?

[Absolut3Chaos]

Yeah cause the NWO are a bunch of guys sitting in a room waiting for 2012. Some of you people make me sick

[strasheep]

actually iridium are operational.. theyre not rich but theyre operational

[xapplimatic]

Iridium is not an active satellite network. This is a junk explanation. The truth is that satellite-based mobile phone consortium went bank-rupt YEARS AGO! They haven't been operating squat. Either their junk satellite, unwatched collided with the Russian junk satellite and the Iridium story is a "poor us" explanation by a money-grubbing insolvent defunct corporation, or the truth is that it was a US military op to see if they could use junk satellites to target enemy satellites.

[xxxxdarksidexxxx]

i know this sounds stupid but could this have possibly been sense from southern california??????