U.S. spy satellite to crash on Earth

www.chinaview.cn 2008-01-29 09:27:59 Print

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- An out-of-control U.S. spy satellite
which is expected to crash to the Earth, will not endanger human, a
senior U.S. official said Monday.

If there are debris of the satellite surviving the intense heat, most
of them would probably fall into the oceans, which account for more
than 70 percent of the Earth, said White House National Security
Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe.

"Given that 75 percent of the Earth is covered in water and much of
the land is uninhabited, the likely percentage of this satellite or
any debris falling into a populated area is very small," he said.

However, the U.S. government was monitoring the satellite and
examining different options to "mitigate any damage," he added.

Local media reported that one of the options the military is
considering is to use a missile to destroy the satellite in space,
but it raised concerns including creating space debris.