SALEM — An errant U.S. spy satellite is falling out of orbit and making its way toward Earth. On board is a toxic fuel that could injure or even kill those in the area when it hits.
No, the scenario is not the plot for "Deep Impact 2: This time it's our fault"; it's real life, and one Salem State College political science professor, Kanishkan Sathasivam, said the government's proposed solution — firing a rocket from a U.S. Navy ship somewhere in the North Pacific to intercept the bus-sized satellite — is more complex than it seems.
The topic is right up Sathasivam's alley. The Sri Lanka native received his master's and bachelor's degrees in aerospace engineering. As a grad student, he worked on a project funded by NASA where he and his colleagues developed new ways of transferring fuels between spacecraft. He enjoyed the work, but competition for research money turned him off to engineering, and he made the switch to political science.
Sathasivam earned a doctorate in political science from Texas A&M and now specializes in international security. He said international security primarily deals with issues of war and peace, but recently it has grown to cover more areas, including pandemics, global warming and, of course, poisonous satellites falling from the sky.
His two areas of education allow him to weigh in on both the technical challenges of the operation and the political implications that loom if the operation fails.
A unique test
Sathasivam said the system the U.S. Navy plans to use to blast the "unresponsive" satellite into space dust is called the SM-3.
SM-3s are designed to intercept ballistic missiles but have never been used in a real-world application. In previous small-scale tests, "the system has performed quite well," he said, and this event is a unique opportunity for the Navy to conduct its first real world test — sort of.
This is not the task the SM-3s were designed for. According to Sathasivam, SM-3 technology is designed to take out an enemy missile while in the "boost phase" — about 20 to 30 miles off the ground. The spy satellite is going to be at least 100 miles higher and will be descending, rather than ascending.
Timing is everything, he said. Hitting the satellite too high would create space junk that could damage other satellites. But if the satellite enters Earth's atmosphere, it would be thrown on an unpredictable path, making it "impossible" to shoot down.
The idea is to hit the target just before it enters the atmosphere, so it will break up into tiny pieces that will burn up as they fall to Earth.
What if they miss?
Missing the target could have massive implications.
First of all, the large fuel tank full of highly volatile and poisonous hydrazine is not something that humans would want to come in contact with. But if the SM-3 rocket doesn't connect, there is a good chance the toxic fuel tank will survive the trip.
Sathasivam said that is because the satellite would enter the atmosphere in a shallow trajectory, meaning big pieces will remain intact.
"The fuel tank is built to last," he said. "That is the piece that would probably survive."
In addition to the health risk, Sathasivam said the United States would be thoroughly embarrassed after spending billions of dollars and decades developing the SM-3 technology.
Saving face is not the only political motivation. National security is also a factor.
It is no coincidence, he said, that Navy cruisers armed with SM-3 rockets are stationed in the North Pacific. The U.S. military has been keeping a close eye on North Korea since the nation tested ballistic missiles.
Sathasivam said a successful intercept would show the North Koreans that any attempt to lob missiles at the United States would be futile, and possibly deter them from ever trying. But a failure could raise doubts about the SM-3's abilities.
As for the missile itself, it will harmlessly disintegrate in the atmosphere.
Can we see it?
Unless you live in Alaska and are tipped off to when the missile will be fired, you will not see the explosion in the sky. Sathasivam said there is a possibility that those who are in the area will see a debris trail, but no luck for anyone living on the North Shore.
Unless, of course, the missiles miss.
Then we all may be looking to the skies a bit more closely.
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
