U.S. spy satellite
falling from orbit, could hit Earth
26/01/2008
10:16:47 PM
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The
U.S. has lost control of a spy satellite that may contain hazardous materials,
and it could hit the Earth over the next two months, government officials said
Saturday.
The
satellite has lost power and is now floating freely around the Earth.
"If
the satellite is as big as we think it is -- about as big as a school bus -- then
parts of it could survive the fiery re-entry and hit the Earth," space analyst
Randy Atwood told CTV News.
Officials
speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said they have no idea
where the satellite will hit.
Gordon
Johndroe, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said appropriate
government agencies are monitoring the situation.
"Numerous
satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly,"
he said. "We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage
this satellite may cause."
It's
unknown whether the U.S. may attempt to destroy the spy satellite before it re-enters
the atmosphere.
"It's
not all that easy," said Atwood. "You're not going to shoot it down,
you're just going to explode it into a million pieces that are ultimately going
to fall on the Earth."
An
anonymous government source told AP that the satellite contains a rocket fuel
called hydrazine, which is a toxic chemical and can be harmful to anyone exposed
to it.
In
1979, NASA's first space station, the 78-tonne Skylab, re-entered Earth's orbit
earlier than expected. Debris rained down on the Indian Ocean and a rural stretch
of Australia, but there were no reports of injuries or damage.
NASA
was able to direct the de-orbit of the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory in 2002 by
using the satellite's rockets. Officials managed to steer the observatory into
the Pacific Ocean.
But
in 2002, NASA said debris from a science satellite may have struck an area of
the Persian Gulf, thousands of kilometres from where officials had thought the
pieces would strike.
With files from The Associated Press
