Comments on: SM-3, baby http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/ The unbearable lightness of Lex. Enjoy! Sun, 21 Mar 2010 22:55:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: CdnNavyBob http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/comment-page-1/#comment-423120 CdnNavyBob Wed, 20 Feb 2008 14:04:36 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/#comment-423120 For those that think this is an excuse to show off to China, ask yourself the question: If the US and China decide to start shooting down each others satellites, who has more to lose? Plus, as has been pointed out, the SM-3 doesn't have the legs to reach satellites in their operational orbit. For those that think this is an excuse to show off to China, ask yourself the question: If the US and China decide to start shooting down each others satellites, who has more to lose?

Plus, as has been pointed out, the SM-3 doesn’t have the legs to reach satellites in their operational orbit.

]]> By: Steeljaw Scribe http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/comment-page-1/#comment-423113 Steeljaw Scribe Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:17:14 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/#comment-423113 Nose: Couple of ex-Bats and ex-Steeljaws working the corrective action... ;) -SJS Nose:
Couple of ex-Bats and ex-Steeljaws working the corrective action… ;)
-SJS

]]> By: cooldude http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/comment-page-1/#comment-423114 cooldude Mon, 18 Feb 2008 21:35:40 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/#comment-423114 I predict the following sequence for the intercept: Shoot-Look-Miss...... Shoot -Look- Miss again..... Wave-off third shot...... Watch satellite reenter.......... I predict the following sequence for the intercept:

Shoot-Look-Miss……
Shoot -Look- Miss again…..
Wave-off third shot……

Watch satellite reenter……….

]]> By: Skippy-san http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/comment-page-1/#comment-423115 Skippy-san Mon, 18 Feb 2008 01:19:25 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/#comment-423115 There are no "old" Seabats.......just more mature Seabats-thank you very much. "Wardroom full of refugees from a CAAC ward!" -As Ward Cooper used to say. There are no “old” Seabats…….just more mature Seabats-thank you very much.

“Wardroom full of refugees from a CAAC ward!”
-As Ward Cooper used to say.

]]> By: Nose http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/comment-page-1/#comment-423141 Nose Mon, 18 Feb 2008 00:20:02 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/#comment-423141 Hey SJS- One of the guys heavily involved in the "corrective action" is an old Seabat. (Helium) I'm hearing really interesting (but alas, unclass) stuff from him. N Hey SJS-

One of the guys heavily involved in the “corrective action” is an old Seabat. (Helium)

I’m hearing really interesting (but alas, unclass) stuff from him.

N

]]> By: Tailspin http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/comment-page-1/#comment-423116 Tailspin Sun, 17 Feb 2008 14:10:52 +0000 http://www.neptunuslex.com/2008/02/14/sm-3-baby/#comment-423116 Reentry would melt the N2H4 ice. I was curious about the melting point, and it's about the same as water. And it's really nasty stuff as a gas. Even in low concentrations it irritates the throat and lungs, and in higher levels it causes tremors and convulsions. It's water soluble and can be abosrbed through your skin causing neurological problems, and can cause liver, kidney and reproductive organ damage. All that said, it's so reactive (it's a monopropellent and hypergolic, as Nose points out, so no ignition source is required) any debris will probably be clean, but Shuttle Columbia debris apparently was contaminated with the monomethyl form of hydrazine (CH3NHNH2) that's used with nitrogen tetroxide in the thrusters. BTW, because the stuff is easy to store it was used as propellent on the Me-163 Komet back in the '40s, Voyager 1 and 2 used it, and so do Soyuz and Titan. It's one reason astronauts don't pile out of the Shuttle after landing—the trucks unload any that's left over in the thrusters and sniff to make sure there isn't any in the air. As for orbit info, visit http://www.heavens-above.com/usa193.aspx. Besides details on USA-193 they offer a nice chart of daily visible satellite passes. In olden days they'd have proclaimed you the Royal Wizard if you could predict 'shooting stars.' The way things are going it may come to that again. See http://tinyurl.com/2ygj9c . Reentry would melt the N2H4 ice. I was curious about the melting point, and it’s about the same as water. And it’s really nasty stuff as a gas.
Even in low concentrations it irritates the throat and lungs, and in higher levels it causes tremors and convulsions. It’s water soluble and can be abosrbed through your skin causing neurological problems, and can cause liver, kidney and reproductive organ damage. All that said, it’s so reactive (it’s a monopropellent and hypergolic, as Nose points out, so no ignition source is required) any debris will probably be clean, but Shuttle Columbia debris apparently was contaminated with the monomethyl form of hydrazine (CH3NHNH2) that’s used with nitrogen tetroxide in the thrusters.

BTW, because the stuff is easy to store it was used as propellent on the Me-163 Komet back in the ’40s, Voyager 1 and 2 used it, and so do Soyuz and Titan. It’s one reason astronauts don’t pile out of the Shuttle after landing—the trucks unload any that’s left over in the thrusters and sniff to make sure there isn’t any in the air.

As for orbit info, visit http://www.heavens-above.com/usa193.aspx. Besides details on USA-193 they offer a nice chart of daily visible satellite passes. In olden days they’d have proclaimed you the Royal Wizard if you could predict ’shooting stars.’ The way things are going it may come to that again. See http://tinyurl.com/2ygj9c .

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