Being that this is a new spy satellite, there is certainly plenty of critical technological information the Pentagon does not wants to share, but in yesterday's statement, the toxicity level of the fuel used in the satellite called hydrazine, convinced President Bush to okay the missile firing.
"That is the only thing that breaks it out, that is worthy of taking extraordinary measures," said Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a Pentagon briefing as reported by AP
I hope we are successful although it wouldn't be surprising to expect some domestic and geopolitical fallout to occur after despite the severity of the matter.
"It should be understood by all, at home and abroad, that this is an exceptional circumstance and should not be perceived as the standard U.S. policy for dealing with errant satellites," said House Armed Services Chairman Ike Skelton (D-MO).
As a citizen, I trust my government is doing the right thing, but given their past history of military decision making, I can't help but have the hee-bee-gee-bee's.
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If the first attempt fails, the Pentagon says it has 7 or 8 days to assess the situation and perhaps reattempt with a 2nd or 3rd missile. However, if that is unsuccessful, what are our options? Just over 12 months ago, the Chinese had destroyed a disabled weather satellite using a laser guide surface-to-air missile with one attempt. If the Pentagon is unsuccessful at destroying this highly toxic satellite, should we expect the U.S. to turn to the Chinese for help? If the Pentagon is successfuly on its 1st attempt, will this will inadvertedly start another arms race?