Earth Threatened by Falling Satellite Targets Feb/Mar

Saturday, government officials disclosed to the public that a large disabled U.S. Spy satellite is out of control and could possible threaten Earth by the end of February or early March. The satellite contains hazardous materials and no one knows where on Earth the satellite could hit.

A spokesman from the National Security Council downplayed the severity and said that numerous satellites over the years have come out of their orbit and fallen harmlessly to Earth. He was asked if it could be shot down by a missile but could not comment on that due to security reasons.

The satellite contains rocket fuel (Hydrazine). Hydrazine is a toxic chemical and is harmful to anyone who comes near it. Other nations have been given a "heads up" on the situation too.

Besides being a threat to humans, if the satellite fell into the wrong hands, our national security could be at risk because there is exposure to our top secrets.
The satellite weighs 20,000 pounds and is the size of a small bus. Typically a spy satellite is controlled to enter into the ocean so that no one would have access to the spacecraft.

According to a Jeffry Richelson, a senior fellow with the National Security Archive, the satellite used to gather visual information from the space about threatening governments and terrorist groups, including construction of suspected nuclear sites or militant training camps. It is also used to survey damages in natural disasters.

For more information you can click on "here" and read some more detail from the Associated Press account.

SOURCE; ASSOCIATED PRESS