Spy satellite loses power; could hit Earth in Feb. or March

[Brent]

Its still trying to be confirmed that this spy satellite is owned by the New England Patriots and that the loss of power of this satellite is being blamed for their Super Bowl loss..

!!!!!!!!

[senorpepr]

Talk about media hype. It's going to burn up in the atmosphere for god's sake. Any scrap that does survive (unlikely), has a very remote chance of landing somewhere dangerous.

Actually, similar sized satellites that have fallen over the past several years have made it to Earth. Granted, a majority burns up, but a sizable chunk (enough to do serious damage) has made it to the surface. Furthermore, latest physic projections indicate that it will land someone over or near the North American continent. It's still enough to warrant concern.

[Chacor]

The US military is planning to shoot down a broken spy satellite due to crash land on Earth in the next few weeks, the Pentagon has announced.

President George W Bush approved the option to fire a missile from a US Navy ship to destroy the satellite before it enters the atmosphere, officials said.

They say the satellite contains a hazardous material which could be fatal if inhaled by humans.

A US general denied claims that the main aim was to destroy secret parts.

General James Cartwright said confidential components would be burned up in the atmosphere and, in any case, that would not be a reason for shooting down the satellite.

He said the National Reconnaissance Office "bird", launched in December 2006, had lost power and communications shortly after it entered space and a controlled re-entry was not possible.

The broken satellite had been predicted to reach the top of the Earth's atmosphere towards the end of February or early March and officials could not predict where it would land.

The general said the window of opportunity for the strike would open in the next three or four days and last for about a week.

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