AMC-14 - what's up?

[iwc5893]

I wonder if they're going to try and use it to broadcast TV to troops...

 

[Fitzie]

The hazard in speculating is that unless you helped build that particular satellite, you probably don't really know what it was or is capable of. If I were in charge of design, I would certainly consider the possibility of including features that are or could be useful in national security emergencies. One of these that jumps to mind would be penetrating radar, long wave or whatever its technical name is, so that bunkers and silos 50 to 75 feet underground could be examined to determine if they contain missiles. How difficult could it be to include long wave (penetrating) radar to a satellite designed to cover a swath of ground 3,000 miles in diameter?

The cause of the misfiring sequence is also questionable, in my mind. The russians said it was fauty workmanship. But wouldn't it be just real handy if a satellite known to the KGB to be carrying US intelligence capabilities lost its way? And if you're thinking, no way, my question would be: how do you know that? So the question remains: why did the US govt. want that satellite, and what is it doing with it? Are there recoverables that must be protected? The world is a strange place, and especially if you're fighting a war in 2 foreigh countries and spending $500 billion a year to do it.

Fitzie
(Former serviceman, current American patriot)

 

[Fitzie]

I wonder if they're going to try and use it to broadcast TV to troops...

A very practical possible solution, especially if that TV happened to be encrypted strategic battlefield information. Presumably the information could be gathered by robotic flying devices, transmitted to an uplink transmitter, sent to the satellite and returned by tight spot beam to the local recipients. Real time battlefield information! Of course, the US military may already be doing that with existing satellite capability...but if they're not, AMC 14 might be an excellent test vehicle to test what's possible.

Regards,
Fitzie

 

[mike123abc]

The hazard in speculating is that unless you helped build that particular satellite, you probably don't really know what it was or is capable of. If I were in charge of design, I would certainly consider the possibility of including features that are or could be useful in national security emergencies. One of these that jumps to mind would be penetrating radar, long wave or whatever its technical name is, so that bunkers and silos 50 to 75 feet underground could be examined to determine if they contain missiles. How difficult could it be to include long wave (penetrating) radar to a satellite designed to cover a swath of ground 3,000 miles in diameter?

The cause of the misfiring sequence is also questionable, in my mind. The russians said it was fauty workmanship. But wouldn't it be just real handy if a satellite known to the KGB to be carrying US intelligence capabilities lost its way? And if you're thinking, no way, my question would be: how do you know that? So the question remains: why did the US govt. want that satellite, and what is it doing with it? Are there recoverables that must be protected? The world is a strange place, and especially if you're fighting a war in 2 foreigh countries and spending $500 billion a year to do it.

Fitzie
(Former serviceman, current American patriot)

How would a satellite at a fixed location really be useful? Unless of course you are suggesting that it really was a spy satellite to start with and the launch malfunction was planned by the CIA to allow them to get the satellite into orbit. Lets see, the CIA ditches AMC-14, sneaks their satellite into the launch, sabotages the 3rd stage (well not really since they know exactly where they want the satellite to go), and has the russians launch it for them because Vandenberg is too backed up in launches and they want the satellite up ASAP?

Remember the satellite was not Dish's but SES's. Not a US company.

 

[Smith P.]

So much conspiracy - it is interesting for whole book or a movie, but seems far away from practical , reality.

 

[Fitzie]

How would a satellite at a fixed location really be useful? Unless of course you are suggesting that it really was a spy satellite to start with and the launch malfunction was planned by the CIA to allow them to get the satellite into orbit. Lets see, the CIA ditches AMC-14, sneaks their satellite into the launch, sabotages the 3rd stage (well not really since they know exactly where they want the satellite to go), and has the russians launch it for them because Vandenberg is too backed up in launches and they want the satellite up ASAP?

Remember the satellite was not Dish's but SES's. Not a US company.

Not a spy satellite per se, but a commercial satellite with some "spy" capabilities built in. These would not have to be made known to SES, but only to DISH, since Dish was the one to be using the satellite. And, no, the CIA does not sabatoge the launch--the russians would be happy to do that if they found out an ostensibly 100% commercial sat. had been loaded with an intellligence capability. Regarding the purpose of having a stationary spy satellite, it would depend on the satellite's capabilities. For example, keeping track of shipping, submarines, drug interdiction, and so forth.

Just speculation, of course--since so far as I know none on the forum know "squat" as to what's really been done with AMC 14, or will be done.

Fitzie

 

[johnch]

Latest on AMC-14 within 1500km of circular

Here is latest data for AMC-14--someone has really been busy!

Epoch (UTC): 23:11:44, Monday, December 15, 2008Eccentricity: 0.0185106Inclination: 13.2328°Perigee height: 34916 kmApogee height: 36473 kmRight Ascension of ascending node: 123.3974°Argument of perigee: 40.1794°Revolutions per day: 1.00598636Mean anomaly at epoch: 330.3474°Orbit number at epoch: 407

I still can't understand how the military can use this satellite. Looks to me like if it makes it circular and that it is moved it could be used commercially for a while anyway.

Dish are you watching?

Just my two cents

JC