Back when I was 17, I went through the process of applying for university courses. I knew I wanted to study Physics with a specialization in a space related field, but at the time it wasn't really clear to me what the difference between "astrophysics" and "space science/technology" was. Somebody, and I confess I have sadly forgotten who, explained ( Read more... )

I'm not very happy. The US is still going ahead with their decision to fire a missile at a spy satellite, though at least now it seems I can blame Bush specifically. What really annoys me is their arguments ( Read more... )

US 'to shoot down spy satellite'

Sometimes, I hate being right.

Almost exactly a year ago, the Chinese tested (or demonstrated) an anti-satellite weapon by destroying an old weather satellite. This was a bad thing. The debris cloud it produced is a huge hazard to spacecraft (both manned and unmanned) to say nothing of the political implications. With the energies and velocities involved in space, hitting an ( Read more... )

For many years, scientists have been stating that space debris poses a significant hazard - typically to other spacecraft. This is the first time I've heard of a re-entering satellite nearly hitting a planeHowever, the Metro isn't the most accurate of sources, and the "satellite" in question was a Russian Progress vehicle which had been resupplying ( Read more... )