George Bush has ordered a broken spy satellite to be destroyed before it hits the Earth because of potentially deadly toxic gas in the vehicle's fuel tank. (Sky News Friday 15th February 2008)Officials said the preferred option was to fire a missile from a US Navy cruiser and shoot the hi-tech equipment down before it enters the planet's atmosphere.The disabled satellite is expected to hit the Earth in the first week of March.
Deputy National Security Adviser James Jeffries told reporters that American President Mr Bush decided to intercept the satellite because of the potential danger posed by the rocket fuel it is carrying.
Mr Jeffries did not say when the attempted intercept would be conducted. General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that in a worst case scenario the rocket fuel could be deadly if inhaled.
He said a navy missile known as Standard Missile 3 would be fired from a ship. The satellite is a classified National Reconnaissance Office spacecraft launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in 2006, according to US officials.The L-21 has been out of touch since shortly after reaching its low-Earth orbit.
