Anti-satellite test alarms U.S.
Ex-astronaut wants systems to warn craft
BY TODD HALVORSON
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"They basically shot it down like a surface-to-air missile would shoot down an airplane."
This is more of a threat to us than Iran claiming to have nukes. Plus China isn't just blowing smoke, they have actually done it. It ain't bragging if you can do it.
Posted by: mraney on Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:54 am
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PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE - China's successful test of an anti-satellite weapon last week shows a need to equip U.S. spacecraft and ground controllers with ways to identify threats in orbit, a U.S. military space official said Friday.
"If you look at air, land and sea domains, the first thing any commander wants is an understanding of the battle stage, and who is operating in it," said Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colo. "We need to do those exact things for space. Space situational awareness is going to be key to us no matter what the threat is or what the future holds for us."
A former NASA astronaut, Chilton spoke during a visit to the Air Force 45th Space Wing at Patrick, which oversees launch operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
With its Jan. 11 test, China became only the third nation to destroy an orbiting spacecraft. The U.S. and the former Soviet Union are the other two.
First reported by Aviation Week and Space Technology, the test involved launching a missile with a "kinetic kill vehicle" -- a projectile that blasted an aging Chinese weather satellite to pieces 537 miles above Earth.
"They T-boned it big time," said Craig Covault, senior editor at the magazine. "They basically shot it down like a surface-to-air missile would shoot down an airplane."
Chilton declined additional comment. But Covault said the test proved China's space technologies are maturing. It also showed that China could attack U.S. spy satellites, and it almost certainly will have political implications.
"It's really more of a policy weapon at the moment," Covault said. "It's a space control issue that percolates into political leverage."
Ex-astronaut wants systems to warn craft
BY TODD HALVORSON
FLORIDA TODAY ADVERTISEMENT
Post a Comment View All Comments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"They basically shot it down like a surface-to-air missile would shoot down an airplane."
This is more of a threat to us than Iran claiming to have nukes. Plus China isn't just blowing smoke, they have actually done it. It ain't bragging if you can do it.
Posted by: mraney on Sat Jan 20, 2007 5:54 am
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post a Comment View All Comments
WEB EXTRAS
Space Blog: The Flame Trench
Related news from the Web
Latest headlines by topic:
• Science / Technology
• Space
Powered by Topix.net
PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE - China's successful test of an anti-satellite weapon last week shows a need to equip U.S. spacecraft and ground controllers with ways to identify threats in orbit, a U.S. military space official said Friday.
"If you look at air, land and sea domains, the first thing any commander wants is an understanding of the battle stage, and who is operating in it," said Gen. Kevin Chilton, commander of Air Force Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colo. "We need to do those exact things for space. Space situational awareness is going to be key to us no matter what the threat is or what the future holds for us."
A former NASA astronaut, Chilton spoke during a visit to the Air Force 45th Space Wing at Patrick, which oversees launch operations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
With its Jan. 11 test, China became only the third nation to destroy an orbiting spacecraft. The U.S. and the former Soviet Union are the other two.
First reported by Aviation Week and Space Technology, the test involved launching a missile with a "kinetic kill vehicle" -- a projectile that blasted an aging Chinese weather satellite to pieces 537 miles above Earth.
"They T-boned it big time," said Craig Covault, senior editor at the magazine. "They basically shot it down like a surface-to-air missile would shoot down an airplane."
Chilton declined additional comment. But Covault said the test proved China's space technologies are maturing. It also showed that China could attack U.S. spy satellites, and it almost certainly will have political implications.
"It's really more of a policy weapon at the moment," Covault said. "It's a space control issue that percolates into political leverage."