U.S., Russian satellites collide, creating massive debris clouds

Thursday 12th February, 09:49 AM JST

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nandakandamanda at 03:45 PM JST - 12th February

The US satellite was commercial.... ah, so the Russian one was...erm, dare we ask??? Didn't a Russian nuclear-powered satellite fall back to earth some time back? This one weighs a ton, it says. I wonder what was powering it before it started this out-of-control orbit and eventual collision?
Sarge at 03:52 PM JST - 12th February

"We knew this was going to happen eventually" - Mark Matney, an orbital debris scientist at Johnson Space Center

So, they don't have the technology to keep satellites from　crashing into each other. Gosh, I hope they don't say that when two shuttles with people aboard crash into each other.

"orbital debris scientist"

I hope eventually they can phase out that job.
timeon at 04:05 PM JST - 12th February

probably the phrase "the Russian satellite was nonfunctioning and out of control" should be read carefully
SushiSake3 at 04:21 PM JST - 12th February

"orbital debris scientist"

Sarge - "I hope eventually they can phase out that job."

LOL! :-)
kwatt at 05:10 PM JST - 12th February

There are now about 17,000 mammade debris arbiting the earth. I don't know how many satellites are flying up there as some countries send new ones up every year. I think that satellite and another sateliite or satellite and small debris collide more often in the future whatever scientists deny about it.
nandakandamanda at 05:34 PM JST - 12th February

Russia has taken responsibility in the following way, quoted from the BBC World Service site:

'Russia's civilian space agency, Roscosmos, confirmed the collision with the defunct 950kg (2,094lb) satellite, which was launched in 1993. Spokesman Aleksandr Vorobyev was quoted as saying the satellite had "in all likelihood... belonged in the past to the military", and was therefore not the responsibility of Roscosmos.'
SuperLib at 06:07 PM JST - 12th February

Next come the aliens....mark my words.
Midnightpromise at 06:38 PM JST - 12th February

It has more than 300,000 subscribers. The U.S. Department of Defense is one of its largest customers.

At the beginning of this year there were roughly 17,000 pieces of manmade debris orbiting Earth, Johnson said

I think there is a greater chance of their subscribers bumping into each actually......given that the earth surface is much smaller than space, no?
ca1ic0cat at 09:51 PM JST - 12th February

Pretty soon the debris cloud will be so large that we won't be able to get past it. Just think about it: humanity is stopped from reaching for the stars by it's own trash. Ironic, isn't it?
Asara at 12:34 AM JST - 13th February

Aliens might provide some humanatarian aid to earthlings for cleaining up their orbit hence they can escape from their polluted planet.
tclh at 04:42 AM JST - 13th February

OMG can we human be good at anything ? We "civilise" the earth for our better living conditions and in the end we produce so many toxic wastes around which can exterminate all of us finally. We "escape" from the earth to explore the universe then produce again accumulated wastes surround the planet which in the end prevent us from going anywhere.
nimbus at 05:49 AM JST - 13th February

First impression is the most important. Space aliens must think earthlings are all litter bugs.
nandakandamanda at 01:32 PM JST - 13th February

Well, no-one seemed bothered about the possibility of nuclear radiation falling on our heads, so I did a bit of digging around. The Russian satellite may be carrying radio isotopes, I discovered.

Further:

"A space expert told Interfax in Moscow that the debris could collide with old Soviet spy satellites carrying radioactive batteries. There was the danger that radioactive clouds could be discharged into space, the expert said." http://news.smashits.com/349818/US-and-Russian-satellites-collide-in-space.htm

Take all reports with a pinch of salt, and keep an open mind!
trente_sylphs at 06:32 PM JST - 13th February

STAR WARS! :D
trente_sylphs at 06:32 PM JST - 13th February

Geez! We already have a problem with littering our planet, now we have to litter in space as well! :(