Crashing satellite - failed project Rods from God

CHECK THIS OUT:

U.S. plans for falling satellite

Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, who heads of U.S. Northern Command, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the size of the satellite suggests that some number of pieces will not burn up as the orbiting vehicle re-enters the Earth's atmosphere and will hit the ground.

[link to edition.cnn.com]

WHY WOULD SOME PIECES NOT BURN OUT?

COULD IT BE BECAUSE THE SATELLITE HAS TUNGSTEN RODS ON BOARD?

Tungsten - Of all metals at temperatures above 1,650 °C (3,000 °F), this element has the highest melting point (3,422 °C) (6,192 °F), lowest vapor pressure and the highest tensile strength. Tungsten has the lowest coefficient of thermal expansion of any pure metal.

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

WHY WOULD IT HAVE TUNGSTEN RODS ON BOARD?

The Rods from God
06/08/2005

The rods are currently just a concept--and have been since the early 1980s--but, if the myriad technical and political hurdles to deployment could be overcome, the system could represent a tremendous leap forward in the military's ability to destroy underground, hardened facilities of the type that have allowed Iran and other rogue states to violate the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty with impunity.

HOW DO THE RODS WORK? The system would likely be comprised of tandem satellites, one serving as a communications platform, the other carrying an indeterminate number of tungsten rods, each up to 20 feet in length and 1 foot in diameter.

These rods, which could be dropped on a
target with as little as 15 minutes notice, would enter the Earth's atmosphere at a speed of 36,000 feet per second--about as fast as a meteor. Upon impact, the rod would be capable of producing all the effects of an earth-penetrating nuclear weapon, without any of the radioactive fallout.

[link to www.weeklystandard.com]

SO, HOW ABOUT THE HAZMAT? THEY SAY IT'S THE ROCKET FUEL ON BOARD. ROCKET FUELS THAT DOESN'T BURN UP ON REENTRY? YEAH RIGHT!

BUT IS TUNGSTEN HAZMAT?

Acute health effects: Irritating to the skin and eyes on contact. Inhalation will cause irritation to the lungs and mucus membrane. Irritation to the eyes will cause watering and redness. Reddening, scaling, and itching are characteristics of skin inflammation. Follow safe industrial hygiene practices and always wear protective equipment when handling this compound.

All tungsten compounds should be regarded as highly toxic. The metal dust presents a fire and explosion hazard.

[link to www.lenntech.com]

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK???