The falling satellite will be destroyed by a missile

Head of Roskosmos Anatoly Perminov considers the decision to destroy US reconnaissance satellite, which lost control and could fall to Earth. "If the satellite out of control, its debris can fall anywhere," - he said in an interview to television channel "Vesti».

According to Anatoly Perminov, the wreckage of the satellite "can kill a person, damage to home or fall into huge reserves of oil storage", causing "a chain reaction of further disasters." Therefore, if the satellite is really out of control, then "his removal inevitable and proper," said the head of the Russian Space Agency.

On board the US spacecraft is half a ton of toxic hydrazine fuel on the basis used for its engine. Experts point out that if the satellite is not completely burn up in the dense layers of the atmosphere, its debris can reach Earth. The probability of them falling to the areas inhabited by people is, according to experts, 1%. To eliminate even the slightest danger to people, the Pentagon is preparing to destroy the machine with the help of missiles "Standard-3" triggered air defense system "Aegis" aboard warships.

Last Thursday, the White House announced that President George W. Bush gave the order to destroy the satellite because of the high risk of loss of life during its uncontrolled descent from orbit. It therefore decided to eliminate the unit before it enters the atmosphere. The notice of the proposed action, the United States sent out to all countries of the world, indicates that if the Pentagon fails, the debris will fall to Earth approximately 6 March. Victims can any state, located in the area between 5 degrees 58 minutes north latitude and 58 degrees south latitude to 5 minutes.

A source