This is a wonderful thing, and it’s too bad Mr Reagan didn’t get to see it
A missile fired from a U.S. Navy warship hit a defunct spy satellite in space to try to prevent its toxic-fuel tank from crashing to Earth, the Pentagon said yesterday.
The SM-3 missile was fired from the USS Lake Erie in the Pacific Ocean at about 10:26 EST and hit the bus-sized satellite about 133 nautical miles above the ocean, the Pentagon said in a statement.
“A network of land, air, sea and space-based sensors confirms that the U.S. military intercepted a nonfunctioning National Reconnaissance Office satellite, which was in its final orbits before entering the Earth’s atmosphere,” it said.
This marks another success for the development of a missle defense system. Do you remember back to all the whining and pooh-poohing during the Reagan years, about “Star Wars” and how it would bankrupt the country, start a world war, and besides that, not work at all? Wrong on all counts. Why can’t folks be proud of such accomplishments? Of course, when China knocks down a satellite, it barely registers, either as a scientific accomplishment or as a threat to world peace. But when we do it, we have to listen to this
Russia and China have expressed concern about the operation. The Russian Defense Ministry said it could be used as cover to test a new space weapon.
Washington has insisted the operation is purely to prevent people being harmed by the satellite’s fuel load.
“Cover to test a new space weapon”? Cover, my tush, it was right out there where you can see it Vladimir my friend… and all that bit about folks being harmed by the fuel was simply to try to calm down the green-weenies here at home. Global warming, harming the environment and all that. Only trouble is, we just don’t have a good cover for the “ban all guns” bozos, who want to make space the next big Gun Free Zone.
“The potential political cost of shooting down this satellite is high,” said Laura Grego, an astrophysicist with the Union of Concerned Scientists. “Whatever the motivation for it, demonstrating an anti-satellite weapon is counterproductive to U.S. long-term interests, given that the United States has the most to gain from an international space weapons ban. Instead, it should be taking the lead in negotiating a treaty.”
What is it about women named Laura? Here’s another one talking about a weapons ban, with the same faulty logic. I’m sure the members of the Little Dictators With Missles can hardly wait for America to declare space a Gun Free Zone. Well, Union of Concerned Scientists, we appreciate your concern. But you’re wrong. Individuals and countries have a right to defend themselves from others who would do them harm. And sometimes, in order to stay sharp, you have to go to the range and practice. Sorry if the target practice makes you qweeeezy… And you Little Dictators can just keep waiting, because we aren’t planning to stop. Bozos… all of you.
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