January 28, 2008

Forget That 'UFO' In Texas...

... because a renegade spy satellite could be smacking into Earth in a matter of weeks. Anonymous government officials revealed Saturday that the satellite has lost power and fallen out of orbit, and it could collide with the planet in late February or early March. And that's not all: The satellite could contain hazardous materials such as hydrazine fuel that might not completely burn off upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.

Incidences of space objects losing their orbits aren't unprecedented or even unusual, but smaller satellites usually break up and dissipate when they hit Earth's atmosphere. Debris that does make it through the layer protecting the planet has usually landed in remote areas, but, as one astronomer put it, that may only be because "we've been lucky so far."

A spokesman for the National Security Council tried to dispel concern with a statement saying government agencies are tracking the situation. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly," Gordon Johndroe said. "We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause."

Johndroe wouldn't comment on whether the government is considering trying to deflect the satellite from Earth's path using a missile or other technology.

NASA has successfully diverted the paths of errant space objects in the past. Scientists used rockets on the 17-ton gamma ray observatory to bring the satellite down harmlessly in the Pacific Ocean in 2000. 1979 saw the largest "uncontrolled re-entry" to date, when debris from the 78-ton Skylab space station fell into the Indian Ocean and in a remote part of Australia.

Photo by NASA

Posted at 12:24 PM
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