Rocket with secret satellite launched from Calif.

Rocket with secret satellite launched from Calif.

news.yahoo.com

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – A rocket carrying classified satellite cargo has been successfully launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on California's central coast.

A release from the base says the Atlas 5 rocket carrying a national security payload for the National Reconnaissance Office was launched Monday shortly after 9 p.m.

No details about the satellite's orbit or capabilities were released.

The launch was a project three years in the making by Vandenberg's 30th Space Wing, the United Launch Alliance and the NRO, which oversees the nation's constellation of spy sat

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Does anyone notice an increase in satelite issues? China testing, shooting one down..... Then all the talks about the new shuttle and some sort of space weapons program.
What could the cargo be? If it was just for expiriment purpose... you would think they would give some sort of explanation.

At what stage do you think that space weapons are at? Do you think that they have nukes in space? Are space lasers a reality? At what point is there going to be so much traffic, that we cant launch space missions?

Satelites are a huge part of our military... Do you think any country has the ability to disable our satelites? Do we have that same ability?


news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Rods of God?! Project Thor?

Rods of God

There has been a lot of talk of solar storms knocking out satellite communications recently too. A nuke in space we all know would have a similar effect.

Who knows what they've got in space nowadays!

Satellites are tracked by United States Space Surveillance Network (SSN), which has been tracking every object in orbit over 4in since it was founded. There are 3,000 satellites in orbit, according to (NASA), there are 8,000 man-made objects in total. Since its begining, the SSN has tracked more than 24,500 space objects orbiting Earth. Most of these have fallen into unstable orbits and burned up during reentry. They also keep track of who the owners of the "space garbage" floating around earth belongs to....

So 3000.... Are we to believe that ALL of the satelites have been accounted for? How many do you think have secretive missions, and are not reported?

I would love to know the capabilities of some of these more "advanced" satelites.

reply to post by Mobius1974


Bet it gets right up your nose that your government spends money on projects for space which dont have an imediately obvious benifit to all taxpayers.

Space missions are slowing down, and the US want's to be sure it can contain anything or anyone from moving through local space. Monitering satellites and tracking satellites are a first step towards an awareness of everything that happens around the globe.

It is impossible to tell exactly what capabilities that the U.S. or other countries have regarding satellites and space. All of your questions are very interesting, but I am not sure we could really know the answers, at least not yet. I think we are much further along than anyone realizes, but it is hard to find evidence, so I can not really be sure.

The next war will be probably be fought in space using advanced technology, and using military robots.

Military Robots

reply to post by PacificBlue


I have to assume that a huge portion of our "black budget" is going toward space programs... There is no way we as a country have backed off the space issue.. I just think we are planning on hiding it.. Nodody can find information and secrets on something that they dont know exists.... unless by luck.