OK, I'm a pretty right wing kind'a guy....... I even enjoy listening to Michael Savage.... He's a bloody lunatic but I still agree with about 95% of what he says, God help me.... But I have this problem..... A problem (with which) Roy can probably give me a hand.... I know that the space race can be an essential element of keeping Putin and all the rest'a those saber rattling commies at bay..... Hell, Reagan faked those stupid bastards into believeing that we had Star Wars technology which kept their (collective) traps shut and bankrupted their asses for about 15 years or so.... So, I can appreciate the conquest of space and the glory of all that is space exploration...... So, don't get me wrong here... I'm a fkn patriot, through and through.... But, why in the name'a Hell does it cost 11 million dollars for one missile to shoot down a fricken bogus satellite....? And how many starving little babies could we have fed with 11 million fkn dollars...... lease: (alot).... Seems like a major waste of money and resources to me........... That thought just occurred to me.....Goodnight. D
I'm with you on this question, at least as to why they have to shoot it down. Unless the target area is down town of some city they should just let it burn up. Unless they are leaving out some details like it's classified nuclear power cell or something it should mostly burn up on reentry, hell skylab was huge and there wasn't much left of it. And the shuttle just landed... it had to cost less than 11 XLG to have it swing by and retrieve it or drag it to a higher orbit. The space geek squad can chime in on why they could or couldn't do that.
The satellite's fuel cell is full of hydrazine, 1000 pounds of it, VERY toxic fuel. The fear is that it would land intact somehow and become a toxic hazard. Or...there is something in that satellite they don't want us to see, muahahahahahaha....
You hit the nail on the head... There is something up with it... The folks around here have been really toiling on this one. The satellite was TOP TOP Secret. I am actually willing to bet they think it is going to land someplace OUTSIDE the US. (Meaning the school bus-sized unit is robust enough to survive the plummet .... or at least whatever is on it, that they are trying to protect/destroy). Lot's of mumbling around here (NASA-land) tho.... :hmm:
Just a few comments for perspective. I believe that the recon satellite is actually considered Top Secret Category 4, Criticom. I don't have that security clearance anymore and I have absolutley no "need to know." But I do recall that at that level of security it was considered to be urgent tactical intelligence as opposed to strategic intelligence. My speculation, and that is all that it is, is that anything that travels at 17,000 mph and can capture very high resolution pictures of items as small as license plates is pretty sensitive. Beyond those obvious things, there is no telling what else is resident in a bus sized structure that is orbiting 150 miles up. Certainly there were strategic goals in demonstrating our ability to destroy something still outside our atmosphere. Remember the Mayagüez incident? Everyone wondered how that thing happened, and in later years it was revealed that it was a ruse to regain world respect for our willingness to fight after we left Viet Nam with our tail between our legs. We lost a lot of marines in that "incident" and actually left three behind to be executed by the Khymer Rouge. The administration and the higher levels of the military have a different perspective on costs...they have been deleting six zeros for so long in talking money that it is habit to approve the launch of ten million dollar weapons. $515.4 Billion (the proposed defense budget for next year (which only budgets for Iraq and Afganastan through March, 2009)) is just words...to us normal people that number is: $515,400,000.000.00 I can't find any reference to the MUD SLO military catalogue. It may still be classified but for more perspective...this catalogue was a list of available dirty military tools. While I never did it, I can recall stories about people routinely ordering an item that consisted of some incredibly good beef steaks and vials of drugs to be injected into the steaks for different affects (or is it effects???). Some individuals would just toss the vials and consume the steaks...the catalogue was a great source of solice to isolated elements in denied areas of operation... All of this bs is just to expand "out of the box" thinking about just what was in that huge orbiting "bus"...there is very little that is beyond imagination in the world of intelligence. $10 or 12 million is nothing to protect some of the things that will not be revealed under any circumstances... Anyone ever read the book "The Jesus Factor"...I think it is out of print...kind of like the Mud Slo catalogue...and if you believe that...
I think it was a case of "they did not want the technology falling into anyone else's hands. At any cost. Bill.
So, Roy..... What you're saying is :surprise: ............................... The satellite is carrying.......... STEAKS? :blink: :harhar::bag:
Thanks, my friend. :thumb: You know I can't stay too straight-faced for long. rop: But, back to it... (Sorry, Timmy)... There is something weird going on with that probe. We will never know what it is. So, we'll just have to trust our government to know what they are doing (eek). :cold: Oh, and one of my Military buddies said (that) camera tech. on spy satts can actually read a date on a dime! (Not sure if it's true) But, that's pretty damn wild, if they could! .................. Hell, they could make their money back just from taking a few shots of some Hollywood Starlets, sunning naked on their roofs. :thumb:
I really did appreciate the conjecture on why (they say) they chose to shoot it down. But, I am more concerned with misplaced priorities and a critically misguided sense of direction. Yes, I believe in the strongest defense possible.... Especialy for a country with the broad freedoms that we enjoy. But, the way we spend money on sophisticated space technology while our footsoldiers are forced to improvise on vehicle armour and lack other essentials on the ground is unacceptable to me.... as well as lots of other stuff.... Why in the name of bloody hell does one frickin' missile cost a whopping 11 million dollars.....? If we were in Russia (yeah, yeah...I know half their shit doesn't work) But, if we were living in the real world (and not "the land of $7,000 toilet seats"), we could easily build a proper flying pipe bomb and do some good here on our own soil as well with a butt-load of cash like that..... (yeah, yeah, I know that federal funds aren't allocated like that...) But, Lord Jesus of Nazareth, we spend money in space like Hillary Clinton raging on acid at an "Let's Insure our Planet" bazaar. (I've got) 50 bucks (that) sez if terrorists had our level of technology and cash, they could create make more than one frickin' missile for 11 million bucks... lazers, computer guidance and all....... On the other side of the fiscal coin, we have millions of poor kids who are gonna grow up to be nothing more than gangbangin' career criminals (or worse) if we don't start providing them with an educational alternative path to success.... Otherwise, these kids will become antiestablishmentarians, gangsters and budding Jihadists who hate our way of life and are more than happy to destroy it from the inside out... all for one $10 crack rock and a two-fisted bl@wjob...... While we're playing with multi-million dollar missiles and billion dollar satellites in the name of strategic defense, our country is facing a domestic war of ideas and ideals. One (in) which our precious freedoms are enabling the enemy to succeed without a shot being fired..... We better begin using some real fkng money on feeding and educating our impoverished children.... before they become so disillusioned with our abandonment that they decide to chuck it all (join the Jihad) and cut all of our bloody throats in the darkest watches of the night..... The powers that be are ignoring this war of the minds and hearts that is even now being waged (right) here at home..... It is one that we must attack with the same ferocity as those in space..... Our priorities are all bass-ackwards.... The way we spend our money is tragically misguided... The enemy is already here..........and he is us..... Let's all wake the fk up.......:blowup: D
Hehehehhe... What would I do without good 'ol fashioned diatribes like that to read. I, for one, don't know! :beer::flipout: That was a great post, Tim. Now for my take. The government doesn't WANT to spend money on the poor. If they did, there is a chance they wouldn't be "poor" and "impoverished" anymore. Every civilization needs it's Groundlings.... The government helps them just enough to keep them alive. No more, no less. It's been that way since the beginning of time. There is ALWAYS going to be poor people, criminals, and outcasts... One of the reasons (I think) is because it's almost EASIER these days to make a buck the wrong way. No school required... Shit, who's going to go to school, when they look out there classroom window and see the neighbor-kid (the same age) selling dope and driving a new Benz? As for the $11Million missile.... well they bought it from the same catalog as the $7000 toilet seats.
Thanks, Jake....... "A riot is an ugly thing.....and I think it's about time that we had one" - Mel Brooks D
Stupid question, Why not use the space shuttle to push the satellite into deep space or even bring it back. oh well it's blowed up now so it doesn't matter.
I agree with Jake!! Have always loved reading Tim's various tirades - they have entertained me on many levels :towel: Even though I am not as articulate with my words as you, or Jake, or Prof, or Mikey, I at least have the intelligence level to understand the conversations. Love 'it ! ! !
I was going to say something.... but, I didn't. :happy: (Well, now I guess I did. :doh ..... So, you gonna be votin' for Obama, Tim? :whistle::imao:
