Inoperative Spy Satellite Successfully Shot Down

This is like Star Trek or Star Wars- only, it's real. And it's really beautiful.

A U.S. spy satellite that was launched in late 2006, and lost power almost immediately. It began spiraling down to earth- at 17,000 MPH (27,540 KPH). The satellite contained a toxic fuel called hydrazine, inside a tank weighing over 1,000 pounds. Had the satellite not been shot down, that hydrazine would've presented a health risk- it's like breathing in ammonia and chlorine, but more toxic- and a national security risk (can you say al Qaida, or even China?).

Instead, the ballistic defense cruiser USS Lake Erie deploiyed a non-explosive missle to intercept the satellite. The missle hit its' mark, and according to a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General James Cartwright, USMC, much of the debris will burn within two days.

(C)2008 by Darren W. Alexander/The DWA Organisation Ink. All Rights Reserved.