The Pentagon is planning to shoot down a disabled US spy satellite that is known as USA-193 or L-21. Military officials hope to strike to the satellite before it reaches the atmosphere which is expected to do in late February or early March. The reason why they want to shoot it is to prevent a deadly leak of toxic gas from the vehicle's fuel tank. President Bush decided to have the Navy shoot the 2270 kg minivan-size satellite with a modified missile. They want to see it crash into the ocean waters instead of a populated area. Since the satellite never became operational, it still has toxic rocket fuel that would have been used to move the satellite in space. If half of the satellite, which also includes the fuel tank, survives the re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, there would be a crash that could spread toxic material across and area equal to two football fields.
This is significant because if the tank survives, the hydrazine (toxic) will reach the ground and there's a chance of human injuries. Contact with hydrazine is hazardous because direct contact with the skin or the eyes, ingestion or inhalations can result in immediate danger. Although is this operation is successful, the hydrazine will no longer pose a risk to human injuries. However it is hard to find an area where humans won't be at risk.
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