The United States will make it’s first attempt to shoot down an errant satellite on Thursday:
WASHINGTON (CNN) — The U.S. Navy likely will make its first attempt to shoot down a faulty spy satellite Wednesday night.
The U.S. government issued a formal notice warning ships and planes to stay clear of a large area of the Pacific Ocean west of Hawaii.
The notice says the two- and-a-half hour window begins 2:30 a.m. Thursday Greenwich Mean Time, which is 9:30 p.m. Wednesday on the East Coast, and 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Hawaii.
The timing is also after the U.S. space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to be safely on the ground.
Pentagon officials caution that the notice reflects the first opportunity to take a shot at the satellite, but it’s possible the attempt could be delayed until later.
“We have to make the notification, but it’s possible the conditions won’t be ideal, or that everything won’t be ready,” said a Pentagon official who asked not to be identified.
Should be fun to watch.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Well, if we miss we could always ask the Chinese to shoot it down for us. Winner gets an Olympic medal in marksmanship.