reply to post by adkchamp
Oh, my!
The decision to take down that malfunctioning satellite was made weeks before the Lunar eclipse!!! In fact, the shot-down was delayed until the
Shuttle was landed.
The satellite failed just after initial launch, in 2006, I believe. Of course, wasn't public knowledge then...but as its orbit was monitored, and
possible repair scenarios were postulated, only when the Gov't knew it would eventually suffer a degraded orbit and re-enter did they have to make it
public, and put a spin on it at the same time, with the 'sabre-rattling' crescendo of proving they could shoot down a satellite...(another thread,
perhaps?)
Remember the reports of tetrazine onboard? This is the terrible dangerous hypergolic fuel that would have been used, had the satellite functioned
properly, to manuever it. Since they could not 'control' the satellite, they could not boost it into a different orbit, and atmospheric friction
would eventually result in orbital decay...an orbital decay that could not be predicted, with certainty. Oh, and there was secret stuff that the
Gov't were afraid might JUST survive some of the re-entry heat, and possibly be tracked to land on these huge landmasses, encompasing Russia and
China. 75% of the planet is ocean, but depending on the orbit of the satellite, maybe more if its trajectory would fall on land?
OK...Lunar eclipse, and malfunctioning satellite from 2006...where is the connection?
