Bush/Cheney Administration Thinks We're Idiots

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Tag(s): Aerospace And Defense; Government; Satellites; Space Defense Weapons
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February 17, 2008 at 16:28:00

Bush/Cheney Administration Thinks We're Idiots

by Dave Lindorff Page 1 of 1 page(s)

http://www.opednews.com

By Dave Lindorff

Anybody who thinks that the government is telling the truth about the plan to shoot down a dead spy satellite--that it's all about protecting us, and not about testing an anti-satellite weapon--has to be really stupid.

And stupid is what the Bush administration and the Pentagon apparently think we are.

They're claiming they need to shoot this thing down because it's got a tank with 1000 pounds of hydrazine, a fuel used for maneuvering satellites while in orbit which is said to be as toxic as chlorine if breathed.

Well, the odds of a tank of hydrazine surviving an 18,000 mph plunge into the atmosphere intact and making it to the ground is basically zero. That sucker will heat up to a fine redhot glow and blow up before it even makes it to the stratosphere.

If you want to know how likely it is that such a tank would make it to ground, check out the pieces of the space shuttle Columbia that made it back to earth when it came down in pieces. That shuttle, a damned sight bigger than this spy satellite, included some heavy pieces of equipment like landing gear that had to carry the full weight of the vehicle on the tarmac, and even that stuff got toasted. (The shuttle also contained tanks of hydrazine, by the way, which didn't make it to earth).

No, the risk of this spy satellite toxifying anyone is nil. The risk of pieces of it, which might make it to earth, hitting anything of consequence is next to nil, especially as the government will be able to give pretty precise warning to the impact area well in advance of its final descent.

So what this is really all about is the government getting an excuse to violate the international treaty against weapons in space, to test a missile it has that it hopes can "take out" a satellite. The Chinese did this last year to one of their own satellites, to widespread condemnation from other space-faring nations, including the US.

The only difference between the US and China here is that the Chinese at least have the integrity to violate international law frontally. The US has to do it dishonestly, pretending it is a public service.

Let's at least not be willing stooges here.

We have had eight years of government by lying. It's not that lies and deception weren't practiced by governments before the advent of the Cheney/Bush regime, but this administration more than any other before it clearly believes that democracy and integrity are simply obstacles to power, and has worked assiduously to try to eliminate them entirely from Washington.

It's past time to bring a little integrity and openness back.
_____________
DAVE LINDORFF is a Philadelphia-based investigative journalist and columnist. His latest book is “The Case for Impeachment” (St. Martin’s Press, 2006 and now available in paperback edition). His work can be found at www.thiscantbehappening.net

http://www.thiscantbehappening.net

Dave Lindorff, a columnist for Counterpunch, is author of several recent books ("This Can't Be Happening! Resisting the Disintegration of American Democracy" and "Killing Time: An Investigation into the Death Penalty Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal"). His latest book, coauthored with Barbara Olshanshky, is "The Case for Impeachment: The Legal Argument for Removing President George W. Bush from Office (St. Martin's Press, May 2006). His writing is available at http://www.thiscantbehappening.net

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6 comments

Sandy Sand began her writing career while raising three children and doing public relations work for Women's American ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training). That led to a job as a reporter for the San Fernando Valley Chronicle, a weekly publication in Canoga Park, California. In conjunction with the Chronicle, she broadcast a tri-weekly, ten minuted newscast for KGOE AM. Following the closure of the Chronicle, Sand became the editor of the Tolucan Times and Canyon Crier newspape...

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Sandy SandSandy Sand began her writing career while raising three children and doing public relations work for Women's American ORT (Organization for Rehabilitation through Training). That led to a job as a reporter for the San Fernando Valley Chronicle, a weekly publication in Canoga Park, California. In conjunction with the Chronicle, she broadcast a tri-weekly, ten minuted newscast for KGOE AM. Following the closure of the Chronicle, Sand became the editor of the Tolucan Times and Canyon Crier newspape...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Whoops!

What if it's really a deliberate ooops?

Pardon my missile, (fill in the blank country). Our bad! Didn't mean to shoot down your satellite.

Good thing we have two backup missiles.

by Sandy Sand (130 articles, 0 quicklinks, 153 diaries, 1174 comments) on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 8:19:51 PM

Mark A. Goldman is an activist, author, and now a Candidate for a Congress (7th District WA State) for 2008. Only the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary election in August will be on the November ballot.
Mark A. GoldmanMark A. Goldman is an activist, author, and now a Candidate for a Congress (7th District WA State) for 2008. Only the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary election in August will be on the November ballot.

Thinks we're stupid?

What evidence do you have exactly that demonstrates that we're not?

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19355.htm

Mark

by Mark A. Goldman (80 articles, 2 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 240 comments) on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 10:14:11 PM

Between jobs, passions are motorcycles, music, and green-tech
truthtruffleBetween jobs, passions are motorcycles, music, and green-tech

I disagree

I'm pretty sure they know we're not idiots, we're just not in a position to do anything about it, kind of like the big kid on the playground taking the little kids' lunch money. And, you know, they've been at this for quite a while. What's more, they've got professional crooks and thugs working with em.

If you're so inclined, add your name to the rolls:

http://www.impeachbush.org

by truthtruffle (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 91 comments) on Sunday, February 17, 2008 at 11:10:51 PM

earth angel
Shannon Rudolphearth angel

Ides of March

Passing this on...

If a million people are killed but nobody knows who to blame, is it still murder?

By Ace Hoffman February, 2008

Before the Ides of March, a bus-sized CIA spy satellite will fall to earth. It's been tumbling uncontrollably for more than a week.

The CIA has no idea where it will come down and may not tell us anyway. But they are already cautioning people that the satellite contains hazardous materials.

It might contain one or more plutonium RTGs (Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators), which are sometimes called RPSs, or Radioactive Power Sources (sometimes the letters stand for slightly different things).

NASA uses RTGs for "deep space probes," but this author and others have argued that the focus on deep-space is a fraud -- a COVER for earth-orbiting spy satellites which ALSO use RTGs.

Solar panels can be used at least as far out as Saturn. Fuel cell technology could be used even for probes to Pluto. So WHY does NASA have such an overwhelming desire to use an incredibly deadly substance despite widespread public protests, when safe alternatives are available? Is it because, for spy satellites, RTGs offer several advantages?

This particular spy satellite was in low earth orbit (which is why it's coming down so soon after they realized it's tumbling uncontrollably, and falling). It only operated for a few years, and was supposed to spend significant amounts of time in earth's shadow, where solar power could not be used directly. Batteries? Fine, for a while. But then they start to weaken from repeated cycles of charging / discharging. This bird was supposed to stay aloft for more than 30 years -- which could add up to nearly 200,000 charge / discharge cycles! If you can get 1,000 cycles out of your phone or computer battery, congratulations.

This spy satellite probably had an enormous umbrella-shaped listening antenna (or several) which could be aimed at particular points of interest on the surface of the earth.

Since the satellite was NOT 22,600 miles above the equator in stationary ("geosynchronous") orbit, the listening antenna would have to be maneuvered constantly. The antenna, once deployed in space, typically covers an area the size of three football fields. Another, much smaller antenna must be aimed at a ground station (or another satellite) so that the transmissions can be downloaded.

Would they really want a bunch of solar panels getting in the way, and only working part of the time, plus the batteries to worry about? Using thermocouples, one RTG produces a constant 750 watts of power.

But RTGs contain Pu-238, and the half-life of Pu-238 -- 87.75 years -- is about 275 times SHORTER than the half-life of Pu-239 ("weapons-grade plutonium") -- 24,131 years. This means that for the next few generations, the Pu-238 is about 275 times more carcinogenic than the Pu-239.

When people say "plutonium" without specifying the isotope, they almost always mean Pu-239.

Pu-239 is often called the "deadliest stuff on earth." It's been calculated that a single pound (some argue that the correct figure is actually "a couple of pounds") of Pu-239, if evenly distributed and deposited in the lungs of every human on earth, would be enough to guarantee that each person would get lung cancer.

For those who will be around in 24,000 years, an RTG's nearly 13% (by weight) Pu-239 content is much worse than its Pu-238 content, since half of the Pu-239 would still be around and NONE of the Pu-238 would exist (although some of its radioactive daughter products would probably still exist).

But, for the immediate future, dropping ONE RTG (less than 25 pounds of Pu-238) on our heads is the carcinogenic equivalent of dropping more than 6,000 pounds of Pu-239 on our heads.

6,000 pounds's worth of Pu-239 would be a very serious health concern! (A typical thermonuclear weapons contains around 10 to 20 pounds of Pu-239, plus several other radioactive materials such as uranium, tritium, etc..)

The RTGs are designed to break away from a tumbling space probe (or spy satellite) in the event of an unplanned reentry.

Next, the RTG's fins melt. Then the RTG's outer shell melts.

By the way, the technical term is "ablation," not "melting." And the technical term for cancer (and other dreadful diseases) is "health effect."

Within each RTG there are 18 smaller containers called GPHSs (General Purpose Heat Sources), which each hold two containers the size of your thumb called GISs (Graphite Impact Shells, inside of CDCF (Carbon Bonded Carbon Fiber) sleeves). The GIS holds the plutonium.

After the RTG melts away, the GPHS units are released. THEY start to melt. In the IDEAL situation, they slow down enough so the melting stops before all the cladding is stripped away. Then the GPHSs tumble to earth in freefall and hopefully don't smash on a rock or pavement. Even if only the GIS remains, it's not a global disaster (although it can still be a significant local problem).

However, according to NASA's own studies, in a typical reentry accident, some of the GPHS units may fail, and ALL OF THEM will fail if the RTG gets hung up in the tumbling satellite for even a SECOND OR TWO longer than "expected."

What if a hydrazine explosion during reentry sends debris crashing into the RTG, destroying it and at least some of the GPHSs inside? What if the GPHSs tumble into each other and break apart? Each GPHS contains more than a pound of plutonium.

All these scenarios -- and many others -- are mathematically calculated, and then coldly discounted. NASA's engineers guess the odds for thousands of different possibilities, and if they don't like the results of their calculations, they change the basic assumptions and rerun the simulations.

But in real life, things don't always go ideally. The plutonium, once dispersed, will be in nano-particle sizes that are PERFECT for lodging PERMANENTLY in your lungs.

The vaporized plutonium represents a significant global hazard, and will take weeks and even YEARS to descend to earth -- the first time. Much of it will be resuspended over and over.

If the satellite's debris scatters over water, the CIA can say that they are "reasonably certain" that no plutonium escaped. But they won't know, because the way those RTGs and GPHSs and GISs and so forth all work is that IF they disperse their plutonium, it will be at very high altitude and very high speed. A streak of deadly dust will burn across the sky.

If the CIA is somehow forced to admit that an accidental release of plutonium MIGHT have occurred, then the CIA would say that ANY Pu-238 which was released will inevitably "fade into background."

But ALL radiation is harmful.

In 1964, another satellite (SNAP-9A) released 2.1 pounds of Pu-238, and caused strong public outcry. In response, NASA invented the RTG containment system, to fool the public (and many scientists) into believing the problem had been solved, and plutonium was once again safe to use in space. But the RTG "containment system" is seriously flawed, in devious ways.

The 1964 SNAP-9A "accident" caused a measurable increase in the amount of plutonium in the northern hemisphere, where most of the debris fell (and where most people live). Adult males in the northern hemisphere reputedly urinate out about one million atoms of Pu-238 every day because of that ONE accident!

That "one million atoms per day" figure has been provided to this author by several different PRO-nukers, and has also been seen in several different public sources over the years. Each pro-nuclear source further claimed this "obviously" was a safe amount since we are not all dead from it!

But as a bladder cancer survivor, I wonder if that plutonium was what poisoned my bladder? Will this latest "accident" cause a recurrence?

A hundredth of a microgram of Pu-238, or thereabouts, is a deadly dose. It will suffice to give you a horrible experience of hospitals, starving for air, pain, and death. But even a 10,000th of a microgram STILL has a 1% chance of being a deadly dose.

Ten or 20 years from now, no one will know if their lung cancer or other ailment, or their deformed child, is because of this satellite, or some other radioactive assault, or something else. For the perpetrator, that's the beauty of this form of murder. They are GUARANTEED to get away with it again and again.

This satellite, when it was launched, was premeditated MURDER, and now that it is coming down to earth, those MURDERS are about to be committed, no matter if the perpetrator or the SPECIFIC victims are identifiable or not.

Ace Hoffman
Carlsbad, CA

The author, an award-winning educational software developer, is also webmaster of the STOP CASSINI web site and blogs regularly on nuclear issues. After the Columbia accident on February 1, 2003, the author created an informative animation about RTGs and other radioactive materials in space:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/mx/nasa/columbia/index.swf

For more information about the militarization of space, please visit our friends at Global Network:
http://www.space4peace.org/

Visit the author's STOP CASSINI web site where much of the backup data for this essay is posted (and where this essay will be posted soon):
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/cassini/index.htm

by Shannon Rudolph (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 13 comments) on Monday, February 18, 2008 at 1:33:46 PM

SW Texas ultra-liberal
john riggsSW Texas ultra-liberal

Dave is on the ball.

How did the thing get up there? If it was taken by space shuttle it could be brought back by space shuttle, right? Just a thought.

by john riggs (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 352 comments) on Monday, February 18, 2008 at 2:41:08 PM

63yo retired ex-trucker, construction worker, now widowed and farming in East Texas. Firm believer in using common sense to solve problems.
txfarmer63yo retired ex-trucker, construction worker, now widowed and farming in East Texas. Firm believer in using common sense to solve problems.

They Sure Treat Us As Such

The Challenger Disaster occured at a lower altitude than this satellite is falling from. Plus Challenger had some heat shield protection. This satellite would not have that protection, so it is hardly likely that any part would remain intact.

The Shrub, with his vast knowledge of all things scientific (obtained no doubt by staying at a Holiday Inn Express) says that this shoot down is necessary to protect people wherever the satellite might land. But we have to remember that he has lied before, and will lie again. He has to; he is the Shrub, and that is what he does.

by txfarmer (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 9 comments) on Monday, February 18, 2008 at 10:33:53 PM