In one of my all time favorite television shows, Dead Like Me, the hero is killed when she is hit by a piece of flying debris from the Russian space station. Or more precisely, she's killed by a falling toilet seat. Well, here's another shot at having life imitate art, only it's a U.S. spy satellite that's involved. U.S. officials said over the weekend that a disabled satellite is expected to plummet to earth late next month. As The New York Times reports:* *
Officials said that they had no control over the nonfunctioning satellite and that it was unknown where the debris might land.
“Appropriate government* agencies are monitoring the situation,” Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a statement. “Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause.”*
Specialists who follow spy satellite operations suspect it is an experimental imagery satellite built by Lockheed Martin and launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in December 2006 aboard a Delta II rocket. Shortly after the satellite reached orbit, ground controllers lost the ability to control it and were never able to regain communication.
On the bright side, the Earth is a big place, so the chances of the spy sat coming down in your back yard are remote.
