MIKA27 Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 North Korea Satellite Out Of Control: Why This Is Very Bad News After failing miserably on numerous occasions, North Korea has finally put a satellite in orbit. But according to US officials, it is now “tumbling out of control”. This is really bad news. NORAD detected the launch yesterday at 7.49pm Eastern Time (11.49am AEDT). The rocket passed over Japan on its way to orbit. Its first stage splashed down into the Yellow Sea, while the second one fell on the Philippine Sea. Soon after that, the United States and most countries with space tracking capabilities confirmed the launch success: whatever it was carrying, it reached orbit. According to Kim Jong-Un’s regime, it’s a “weather satellite” on a polar orbit, going in the same direction as an Earth meridian. Except it’s really going anywhere: talking to NBC News, US Officials are saying that the “space object” is tumbling out of control. Why it is bad news for everyone The most obvious bad news is that this is quite dangerous, as this object has now become a collision risk to other satellites. The first collision between two satellites happened in 2009, when an American 560kg Iridium communications satellite launched in 1997 collided with a dead one-ton Russian satellite launched in 1993. At the time, NASA blamed the Russians. The collision wasn’t only bad for the functioning Iridium, but also to everyone else. Space is a big place, but it’s full of junk. And like that accident proved, collisions happen. We can track quite small debris, but space crashes generate particles that may not be tracked. The thousands of objects that may result from such an accident put other satellites, spaceships and the life of astronauts at risk. The other bad news is that, while nobody really knows if this is a satellite or not, all countries are assuming it has been an attempt to disguise the test of a three-stage intercontinental ballistic missile. One that can easily reach the United States or Russia. And it worked. The only bit of good news is that the lack of precision that probably led to a spinning satellite is proof of North Koreans’ ineptitude when it comes to design and control these long-range weapons. Putting an ICBM in space is not all you need to, say, drop a couple of nuclear warheads over Los Angeles. You need precision guiding systems for that, something that Kim Jong-un’s boffins don’t seem to have mastered quite yet. But then again, a nuclear warhead falling anywhere will definitely be very bad news anyway, no matter how precise it is. You can track the satellite real-time right here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AverageJoe83 Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 Well at least if it does fall in China or Russia, God forbid in a populated area, they might be more interested on pulling the leash on their little buddy. Troubling news any way you look at it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mk05 Posted December 13, 2012 Share Posted December 13, 2012 It's north korea. What good thing ever came out of north korea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIKA27 Posted December 14, 2012 Author Share Posted December 14, 2012 It's north korea. What good thing ever came out of north korea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orangedog Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 If I was on my computer I'd pull up the tumblr of Kim Jong il dropping the beats. That was good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CanuckSARTech Posted December 14, 2012 Share Posted December 14, 2012 It's north korea. What good thing ever came out of north korea? LOL. Love that. Kim Jong Un and Arturo, hard at work.... And at least Art's not wearing socks with his sandals there... LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.15b5f6bc4159a73805a9f118f79a68ca.png)
.png.b3f36db1fa6419bcbd6e13572153fd45.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now