Phil Plait- Blowing up the spy satellite

YouTube - Blowing up the spy satellite USA 193 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7lgtPBgQfY&eurl=http://www.randi.org/joom/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,1/)

Written by Rich Montalvo

Our good friend Phil Plait "The Bad Astronomer" is always on the look out for misinformation about all things up in the sky so to speak.

Here he gives us some facts and some personal opinions about the governments plan to shoot down Spy Satellite USA #193

It was on a collision course and could have hit the earth who knows where and taken out a city or whatever. That's why it was destroyed. If it had landed in a foreign country they would have happily taken it apart and analyzed it and knew it's technology and the US didn't want that to fall into the wrong hands, i.e. China, etc.

We were showcasing some military expertise.

I think the main reason was because of some toxic gas used in the satellite, so they wanted to destroy it before it reached the atmosphere. Secondary reasons was the potential damage if pieces hit populated areas and showing they could do it.