Feb 14, 2008 5:07 pm US/Eastern
U.S. Will Shoot Down Dead Spy Satellite
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
A White House official says President Bush decided to use a military missile launched from a Navy ship to bring down a broken spy satellite because of the potential danger to people from the rocket fuel it is carrying.
Deputy National Security Adviser James Jeffries, briefing reporters at the Pentagon, did not say when the attempted intercept would be conducted, but the satellite is expected to hit Earth during the first week of March.
Gen. James Cartwright of the military Joint Chiefs of Staff said at the same briefing that in a worst case scenario, the rocket fuel could be deadly if inhaled.
"What makes this different is this satellite upon descent could release its thousand plus pounds of hydrazine fuel as a toxic gas," Jeffries said.
While officials said roughly half of the satellite would melt when reentering the earth's atmosphere, something about the size of a minivan might survive, including the fuel tank.
"We had a similar tank on Columbia, which survived reentry, so we think it would survive reentry," Cartwright said.
Officials concede the likelihood of the satellite falling in a populated area is miniscule. However, they added that it is simply not possible to predict where it would land.
"To actually launch the missile and destroy the satellite, I think, is both technically unnecessary and politically undesirable," said Jonathan McDowell.
McDowell is an astronomer at Harvard Smithsonian and a space program analyst. He said federal officials might have other reasons for wanting the satellite destroyed.
"Certainly the U.S. might have concerns about liability," he said. "They might be worried about secret equipment. But I think the real reason is they want to test out an anti-missile system."
Shooting down a satellite is sensitive because of last year's controversy surrounding China's anti-satellite missle test. When China shot down one of its defunct weather satellites, the U.S. and other countries objected.
The military will have to choose a time and location that will avoid damage to other satellites. There's also a question about debris that could remain in space and endanger other satellites.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
