[southnews] US warships position for satellite shoot down Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:46:21 -0600 (CST) U.S. naval forces west of Hawaii are preparing to try to shoot down a falling American satellite, with their first attempt expected late Wednesday. US warships position for satellite shoot down 6 hours ago WASHINGTON (AFP) A US warship is moving into position to try to shoot down an out-of-control US spy satellite as early as Wednesday before it tumbles into the Earth's atmosphere, Pentagon officials said Tuesday. Armed with two specially modified interceptor missiles, the USS Lake Erie has been tasked to intercept the satellite over the Pacific and shoot it down into the ocean, the officials said, adding that a cruiser, the Aegis, is already in waters off Hawaii. The USS Decatur, a guided missile destroyer, is carrying a third interceptor missile in case the first two attempts fail, defense officials said. Another destroyer, the USS Russell, was still in port on Tuesday. "I'm confident they'll be able to do something," said a senior Navy official. "Once the weapon goes into track, then I think it's a done deal." The Pentagon has waited for the space shuttle Atlantis to land first at the end of its mission to the International Space Station. That is scheduled for 9:07 am Wednesday. "Touchdown of the Atlantis opens the window of opportunity for the US military to shoot down that rapidly decaying US intelligence satellite," said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary. "There is a very low risk because our orbits are quite different," Atlantis Commander Steve Frick said. "The satellite is well below us (where) we are now, but of course we are going to land before they break up that satellite." The Pentagon is essentially employing the US missile defense system for the shoot-down attempt at an estimated cost of 40 to 60 million dollars. It is training a panoply of Aegis warships, radars and computerized command networks on the school bus-sized satellite. Software changes have been made to the SM-3 interceptor missiles so that they will recognize a satellite in space instead of a ballistic missile -- their normal programmed target -- officials said. The three-stage missile will carry a maneuverable non-explosive warhead guided from the ground until it can use its infrared sensor to steer itself into a shattering collision with the satellite at an altitude of 150 nautical miles. US Navy ships have intercepted ballistic missile warheads in this way in tests, but the Navy official, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said the satellite poses a somewhat different problem. It is colder and moving through space at a much higher speed, making it more difficult to track than the ballistic missiles. If the USS Lake Erie misses with its first shot, it will probably have to wait a day to try again. The longer the wait, the harder the satellite will be to shoot down as it gathers speed, falling towards the Earth's atmosphere. The plan is to hit a tank on the satellite carrying the toxic propellant hydrazine, which officials say could pose a threat to humans if it survives re-entry. "The system itself is very accurate so hopefully that will translate into being able to hit the tank," said a defense official. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who leaves Wednesday on a trip to Australia and Southeast Asia, has been empowered President George W. Bush to authorize the shoot-down, Morrell said. "Based on the advice he gets he's prepared to do so from the road if necessary," he said. France urged the United States to take all necessary safety measures. "We hope all measures will be taken to reduce as much as possible the consequences of destroying this satellite for the safety and integrity of other space objects," foreign ministry spokeswoman Pascale Andreani told reporters. The plan drew criticism on Sunday from Russia, whose defense ministry said it looked like a veiled weapons test and an "attempt to move the arms race into space." China has also voiced concern. Washington has denied seeking to cover up the satellite's technological secrets or to make a show of strength after China used a missile to shoot down an old weather satellite in January 2007. _____________________________________________________- US Prepares to Shoot Falling Satellite Late Wednesday By Al Pessin Pentagon Voice of America19 February 2008 U.S. naval forces west of Hawaii are preparing to try to shoot down a falling American satellite, with their first attempt expected late Wednesday. The Navy will use its new anti-missile capability, which is still under development, to try to shoot down the satellite as it approaches the earth's atmosphere. Three missiles and their targeting systems have been specially modified for the job, but officials say only one will be fired at a time. Three U.S. Navy ships have been deployed for the operation. A Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity says this assignment will be more difficult than the already challenging task of shooting down an incoming ballistic missile. The official says that is because the satellite's engine has failed so it has no heat source for the warhead to seek, and because it is flying somewhat higher and much faster than a missile would be. Still, senior officers express confidence they will be able to hit the satellite and destroy its tank of hydrazine fuel, which officials say could be dangerous if it falls to earth. The U.S. government has issued a warning to aviators and mariners for a two-and-a-half hour period starting at 0230 UTC Thursday morning, which will be Wednesday afternoon Hawaii time. By coincidence, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates will be in Hawaii around that time on the first leg of a trip to Asia, Australia and Europe. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell says Secretary Gates will make the final decision on whether to try to shoot down the satellite, even if the operation happens while he is traveling. "Secretary Gates has been empowered by President Bush to order the shoot-down," he said. "And based upon the advice he gets, he is prepared to do so from the road if necessary." If no shot is taken Wednesday, or if it misses or only partially destroys the satellite, officials say they can make up to two more attempts before the satellite hits the atmosphere. They have not said exactly what the timing would be. If the satellite remains untouched, they say most of it will burn up as it enters the atmosphere, but they are concerned about the fuel tank and some other pieces possibly hitting the earth. "We have a pretty wide aperture in which to take this shot, and I think that the commanders who are evaluating this are looking at all the conditions that could impact this to make sure that when we do take this shot it can be as successful as possible," Morrell said. The satellite stopped communicating with controllers on earth shortly after it was launched 14 months ago, and it went into a deteriorating orbit. The Navy official who spoke Tuesday called the effort to shoot down the satellite a "pretty significant" technological challenge. He said several sophisticated radar systems will be used to try to direct the warhead to a collision with the satellite while it is still in outer space. Officials say the combined closing speed of the two objects could be more than 30,000 kilometers per hour, and they will be about 250 kilometers above the earth. The Navy officer says sailors on the three ships will direct the effort and launch the missiles, but he says once each missile is launched, it is guided by computers during its approximately 1.5-minute flight. These missiles do not carry an explosive charge, but rather a half-meter long warhead made mainly of very hard titanium that is designed to destroy its target by the force of its impact. The Pentagon says it will announce a missile firing within an hour after it happens, and should have a preliminary assessment of the results of the attempt within a few hours after that. China and Russia have both criticized the U.S. plan. On Saturday, Russia's Defense Ministry said the United States is using the problem with the satellite to test the ability of its missile defense system to take on an anti-satellite mission. The Navy official who spoke Tuesday denied that, saying the Navy has not been tasked to develop such a capability. Earlier, China had criticized the U.S. plan, noting that the United States had complained about the Chinese shoot-down of one of its old satellites over a year ago. U.S. officials say the two incidents are not comparable because China was specifically testing an anti-satellite weapon and because the malfunctioning U.S. satellite is in a much lower orbit than working satellites use. http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-02-19-voa65.cfm The archives of South News can be found at http://southmovement.alphalink.com.au/southnews/