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02-11-2009, 03:42 PM
| | Proud Staff Member | | Proud Staff Member Join Date: Oct 13th, 2003
Posts: 2,277
| | | U.S. And Russian Satellites Collide
U.S. And Russian Satellites Collide, Communications Satellite Hits Russian Satellite; International Space Station Deemed Safe - CBS News Quote:
(CBS) By CBS News space analyst Bill Harwood
A commercial Iridium communications satellite collided with a Russian satellite or satellite fragment, Tuesday, creating a cloud of wreckage in low-Earth orbit, officials said Wednesday. The international space station is not threatened by the debris, they said, but it's not yet clear whether it poses a risk to any other satellites in similar orbits.
"Everybody is saying the risk is minimal to NASA assets," said an agency manager who asked not to be identified.
Once source said U.S. Space Command was tracking about 280 pieces of debris, most of it from the defunct Russian satellite. A spokesman for U.S. Space Command was not aware of the incident but he said he would try to track down additional details. Calls to Iridium Satellite LLC were not immediately returned.
Iridium operates a constellation of some 66 satellites, along with orbital spares, to support satellite telephone operations around the world. The spacecraft are in orbits tilted 86.4 degrees to the equator at an altitude of about 485 miles.
The space station circles the globe at an altitude of about 215 miles in an orbit tilted 51.6 degrees to the equator. Other civilian science satellites operate in polar orbits similar to Iridium's and presumably could face an increased risk as a result of the collision. But again, details were not immediately available.
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More info: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0902/11iridium/
Last edited by HokieEngineer; 02-11-2009 at 04:05 PM.
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02-11-2009, 04:32 PM
|  | Proud Staff Member | | Proud Staff Member Join Date: Sep 7th, 2003 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Posts: 5,651
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I forget the name of the short story where a planet was doomed never to have any space flights or satellites because a war had the powers blow up all the communications satellites in space causing an impenetrable cloud of debris to shroud the globe. This is scary stuff. This debris has to go somewhere and most of it isn't going to fall out of orbit right away.
See ya
Tony
__________________ THERE= a place. not here - THEIR= belongs to them - THEY'RE = short for "They Are". THEN = a point in time; not now. - THAN = used to compare things.
-If you tried 4 times to move forward, it was the FOURTH time you went FORTH! ---Something AFFECTS you. You have an EFFECT on something
Some one can win a MEDAL made of a METAL like gold for showing his METTLE (courage)
If something is LOOSE you might LOSE it. Your=belongs to "you" You're short for "you are"
You file a suit in court. You wear a suit in court. You stay in a suite at the hotel. You sweat it out. Victory is sweet! Dish Channel Chart |
02-11-2009, 05:50 PM
| | SatelliteGuys Regular | | Join Date: Mar 1st, 2006 Location: California
Posts: 215
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Space is big. Satellites are small. What are the odds of a collision?
The first outer space traffic accident.  |
02-11-2009, 05:56 PM
| | Proud Staff Member | | Proud Staff Member Join Date: Sep 7th, 2003 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Posts: 5,651
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The problem now is we have lots of "little pieces" flying in all sorts of untrackable directions. Chances are still small that something else will be hit since space is awfully large, but even a small piece of shrapnel will kill anything it hits. We don't need lasers to bring down satellites...bee-bees with sufficient momentum will do the trick. 
See ya
Tony
__________________ THERE= a place. not here - THEIR= belongs to them - THEY'RE = short for "They Are". THEN = a point in time; not now. - THAN = used to compare things.
-If you tried 4 times to move forward, it was the FOURTH time you went FORTH! ---Something AFFECTS you. You have an EFFECT on something
Some one can win a MEDAL made of a METAL like gold for showing his METTLE (courage)
If something is LOOSE you might LOSE it. Your=belongs to "you" You're short for "you are"
You file a suit in court. You wear a suit in court. You stay in a suite at the hotel. You sweat it out. Victory is sweet! Dish Channel Chart |
02-11-2009, 06:00 PM
|  | Proud Staff Member | | Proud Staff Member Join Date: Apr 3rd, 2005 Location: Michigan - Economy #50
Posts: 6,771
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Somebody is saying oops today, other than the satellite people in El Segundo that kiiled a bunch of DVRs last night (or their scheduled recordings at least).
I guess this one is a little bigger oops.
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02-11-2009, 06:26 PM
|  | Pub Member / Supporter | | Pub Member / Supporter Join Date: Mar 11th, 2006 Location: Louisville
Posts: 601
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02-11-2009, 06:34 PM
| | SatelliteGuys Regular | | Join Date: Sep 13th, 2008 Location: Omaha, Ne
Posts: 99
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This better not mess up my cell phone or dish :x
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02-11-2009, 07:34 PM
|  | Pub Member / Supporter | | Pub Member / Supporter Join Date: Apr 24th, 2004 Location: Olympia, WA
Posts: 6,121
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The orbit is moderately low, but the debris cloud is rather large (and growing). Not a good thing...
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02-11-2009, 08:13 PM
| | SatelliteGuys Regular | | Join Date: Jan 7th, 2008
Posts: 86
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With Dish's luck recently, I am surprised I am not reading "Ceil-2 involved in mid air collision."
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02-11-2009, 09:50 PM
| | Pub Member / Supporter | | Pub Member / Supporter Join Date: Apr 24th, 2004 Location: Olympia, WA
Posts: 6,121
| | Quote:
Originally Posted by Sponge14  With Dish's luck recently, I am surprised I am not reading "Ceil-2 involved in mid air collision." | Ciel 2 is in a far higher orbit than the two that collided, so it's not in any danger from this collision. The IIS...that could be an entirely different situation...
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Average Joe
Samsung 58" Plasma (PN58A550) - Panasonic DMP-BD50K - ViP 622 HD-DVR - Klipsch speakers - Hafler amps - Other home theater gear...
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