20 year old US military weather satellite mysteriously explodes in orbit.

[Aethon]

Air force describes a sudden temperature spike. At least 43 new pieces of debris left in orbit.

http://www.space.com/28709-military-weather-satellite-explodes-photo.html

[Greenfire32]

Would an impact with micro-debris cause "sudden temperature spike?" I find it a little hard that a satellite with 20 years of operation under it's belt would just spontaneously combust due to some interior problem.

[technicalfool]

Would an impact with micro-debris cause "sudden temperature spike?" I find it a little hard that a satellite with 20 years of operation under it's belt would just spontaneously combust due to some interior problem.

Well, spontaneous explosions can happen when a satellite goes dead or is not safed properly at end of life. Or just goes wrong. See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passivation_(spacecraft)

[Dman979]

I'm sorry, the first thing I thought of was "Tea Clipper" and "Bright Star" from Cardinal of the Kremlin. Could it be something like that? Farfetched, I know, but still...

[Rakaydos]

Sounds like an anti-satelite weapon. Laser would do the trick. Doesnt have to be forign either, if the air force decided the satelite was expendable.

[PB666]

Would an impact with micro-debris cause "sudden temperature spike?" I find it a little hard that a satellite with 20 years of operation under it's belt would just spontaneously combust due to some interior problem.

Another one exploded in 2004. Its not the first time, smaller pieces with high surface areas will probably decay quickly along pieces that shot off in retrograde directions. I dont' know what the annual station keeping dV is for that spacecraft, but others at similar station have decayed. Could have been debris from the 2004 explosion that touched off the second, wouldn't it be strange if the 2004 caused a chain reaction that in 20 years takes all the sats out in the weather satellite belt.

[Newt]

Sounds like an anti-satelite weapon. Laser would do the trick. Doesnt have to be forign either, if the air force decided the satelite was expendable.

I highly doubt it--that would be a rather inconsiderate thing to do, and the air force's interests would also be impacted. From what I can tell about the sat, no one else would care to blow it up. Plus there is a lot that could cause a temperature spike. Perhaps a battery exploded, perhaps it was hit by something, perhaps something else happened. We may never know. But a laser seems like a silly conclusion to jump to without more evidence.

Aethon's article suggests it spun out of control prior to comming apart completeley, which to me sounds like something very well could have exploded and given the rest of the vehicle a spin. An impact could have elicited the same response.

[DMSP]

http://www.space.com/28709-military-weather-satellite-explodes-photo.html

Coincidentally these Sats did not influence my username!

Why do you guys think it blew up?

[Commander Jebidiah]

Unless that temperature spike happened in the fuel tank there is no way it was an accident.

If it was the fuel tank it's possible that the heat shielding could have finally given up.

[SubzeroSpartan7]

A sudden temperature spike and then loss of control. I don't know much about the fine details of these sats but could it have possibly been a fuel leak somehow?

[J.Random]

I'm sorry, the first thing I thought of was "Tea Clipper" and "Bright Star" from Cardinal of the Kremlin. Could it be something like that? Farfetched, I know, but still...

Sounds like an anti-satelite weapon. Laser would do the trick. Doesnt have to be forign either, if the air force decided the satelite was expendable.

Don't know what to do? Blame russians. Or chinese.

My bet is on micro debris. Or short-circuited batteries.

[rtxoff]

First signs of an impending alien invasion. Military satellites are their first targets.

[Kerbart]

“We need a 2° inclination change. Jeb, can you take care of that?â€Â

[rhoark]

http://spacenews.com/20-year-old-military-weather-satellite-wasnt-first-of-its-kind-to-explode/

Runaway hydrazine dissociation seems likely.

[Kryten]

This is hardly unprecedented... it's not even the first sat of this specific type to explode.

[PakledHostage]

For the record, there was already a thread about this over in the Science Labs sub forum.

[Vanamonde]

Threads on the same subject have been merged.

[Kinglet]

I think it was space lag. Of course it was space lag.

[Technical Ben]

http://spacenews.com/20-year-old-military-weather-satellite-wasnt-first-of-its-kind-to-explode/

Runaway hydrazine dissociation seems likely.

Others also posted about batteries. Seems the most likely. The likes of oxygen tank stirring on manned craft.

[tg626]

Kraken, duh.

But more seriously my first question is "define temperature spike". As in how much over what time period? 1000 deg in .5 sec? Or 100 deg over 30 minutes?

[Special Agent Sigvan]

There is only one possible cause.

Aliens.

[Dodgey]

No no no. Interdimensional beings dur.

[WinkAllKerb'']

i'll bet it's spad fault ... so easy to misinterpret the results (i!?!i) from this hellish helix machine ...

Edited March 4, 2015 by WinkAllKerb''

[Hobbes Novakoff]

Sounds like Jeb was testing some alternative maneuvering methods...

[megatiger78]

Aliens!