When I read the news that President Bush had ordered the military to shoot down a broken spy satellite, my reaction was "coooooool." But a friend--who was destined for a career as an international arms dealer before he decided to get a Ph.D. in organizational behavior--had a different reaction and sends me the following:
Jason, if I were you, I'd question whether the official line on the shootdown (i.e., they're worried about hydrazine gas dispersion) is a cover for something else, namely the risk of one or more sensitive components surviving re-entry. After all, this is a brand-new, leading-edge system...and the risk from hydrazine at ground level just seems too low to justify this kind of operation...
I just wonder if Bruce Willis isn't somehow involved.
--Jason Zengerle