Don't go out on Friday

[wobbegong]

Maybe in future they'll consider a remotely activated self destruct option?

[PAH]

If only they had missiles that could destroy it, or at least break it up in the upper atmosphere, ensuring total burn up before it hits the ground.

[AtW]

If only they had missiles that could destroy it, or at least break it up in the upper atmosphere, ensuring total burn up before it hits the ground.

It's much cheaper to settle insurance claim.

HTH

[Mich the Tester]

Couldn't they borrow AtW's 40 watt plasma gun and zap it?

[AtW]

Couldn't they borrow AtW's 40 watt plasma gun and zap it?

I can't get two references to get one

[TimberWolf]

Blowing stuff up may not be a great option as that could create a lot of space debris, which is bad. But I wonder whether a simple change of the dimensions of objects would do it, where this is possible, e.g. the batteries. More surface area/volume or better aerodynamics (less brick-like) the more chance it has of burning up, I imagine.

[PAH]

Why didn't they get the space shuttle to bring it home on it's last trip? Too big for the cargo bay?

Maybe it's one of those distraction events orchestrated to pull the rug from under your feet while you're busy looking up at the sky. Let's see what bad news gets buried in the next 24 hours....

[wobbegong]

Blowing stuff up may not be a great option as that could create a lot of space debris, which is bad. But I wonder whether a simple change of the dimensions of objects would do it, where this is possible, e.g. the batteries. More surface area/volume or better aerodynamics (less brick-like) the more chance it has of burning up, I imagine.

Satellites are regularly falling to earth but because of their size only a few pieces make it through re-entry. If this bus-size one was broken into smaller bits before re-entry there would be lass chance of sizable pieces making it through, shirley? Additional charges should be deployed on the bigger structures to ensure they were reduced to a 'burnable' size.

[PAH]

They should have coated it in something highly flammable to encourage burn up, like a giant fat ball.

Alternatively they could have put a big electromagnet in it, and turned it on to collect some space debris on the way down.

[TimberWolf]

Satellites are regularly falling to earth but because of their size only a few pieces make it through re-entry. If this bus-size one was broken into smaller bits before re-entry there would be lass chance of sizable pieces making it through, shirley? Additional charges should be deployed on the bigger structures to ensure they were reduced to a 'burnable' size.

Yes, but explosives have exhaust speeds in excess of 1000 m/s (TNT = 7 km/s), which could put junk into stable orbit, and it doesn't have to be large junk to be a problem.