Gadgets Blog » U.S. Navy Shoots Down Spy Satellite

Despite some critics who thought they couldn’t do it, the U.S. Navy shot down their dead spy satellite last night that was hovering over the Pacific.

The plan was simple. Wait for the sky to clear up and launch a missile into the atmosphere to destroy it. The thing was only traveling at a modest 17,000 mph and hovered 153 miles above the Earth.

For those of you who haven’t been paying much attention, the government had lost control of its spy satellite that was launched back in December of 2006. Not only did they not want the sophisticated and secret imaging sensor to fall into the wrong hands, among other information, the satellite was carrying about 1,000 pounds of frozen, toxic hydrazine propellant. In other words, really bad stuff.

The government is still tracking the debris up there, but they said we have nothing to worry about. But if some camera or a roll of film falls on your head, you might want to call someone.

If want to learn more about the satellite, here’s a man in a funny suit, with a lot of badges, to explain.

Source: CNN, Gizmodo, MSNBC

Video Source: LiveLeak

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