Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

US Spy Satellite to Come Crashing to Earth

by Terrence O'Brien on January 28, 2008 at 03:48 PM

US Spy Satellite to Come Crashing to Earth
Duck and cover! A US spy satellite has lost power and is preparing to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. Where? The government either doesn't know, or isn't saying. When? The best estimates are late February, early March.

Typically spy satellites are disposed of in a controlled fashion, usually crashed into the ocean to keep any sensitive data out of the hands of foreign governments. But without power this satellite's descent will be uncontrolled and difficult to predict.

Worst of all, the satellite may contain beryllium, a light metal with an extremely high melting point routinely used in the aerospace industry. Beryllium is highly toxic, and if inhaled can lead to chronic and incurable respiratory problems.

So build a shelter and get a gas mask -- this one might get ugly.

From USA Today

Related links:

Tags: government, reentry, satellite, science, space

Comments

10

Add your comments

Please keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments.

When you enter your name and email address, you'll be sent a link to confirm your comment, and a password. To leave another comment, just use that password.

To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular