This is a little out of left field considering that I usually write about celebrities or how weird China is but Slate just published a piece about how to blow up a satellite. The US just launched a missile into space to destroy a satellite that wasn’t needed anymore – the reason it needed to be blown up is because it was full of fuel that hadn’t been used up and if it continued to sit there in space it would eventually fall to earth and explode in a mass of fired and fuel etc.
The problem with that would, of course, be potential death and destruction and then idiots from Kansas would claim it was the Apocalpyse or something so pre-emtping the explosion is necessary I guess.
Slate published this:
Secret research projects in the United States have focused on tidier alternatives, like a ground-based laser system that can disable a satellite without breaking it apart. Another idea focused on a three-stage rocket that would deploy a giant Mylar mitt to smack its target and sweep up the pieces.
And you know, I felt that that was nice to know. Technical jargon and details aside, it’s nice to see the US researching ways to keep things tidier. Being tidy is a sign that you’re mentally together. Tidiness; just the word is calming. [source]
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