Chapter 1242 Direct Ascending Interception (A new January is about to begin, please give me a monthl

a.

8:35 a.m. EST.

NASA press conference scene, behind the scenes.

John Yambrick, head of the news center, sat in the preparation room and began to go through the documents in his hands, which were filled with various information and solutions to problems.

Over the years, he has maintained such a cautious working habit and has never made any mistakes at a press conference.

According to the pre-arranged plan, the content of this release includes the maintenance status of the Hubble telescope, the space shuttle retirement plan, the deep space scientific exploration status, and a space exploration plan currently code-named "Return to the Moon."

These matters sound very grand, but they have basically been communicated to the media in advance, and some have even been featured in special reports, so they can't be considered "news".

According to Yambrick's experience, there is a high probability that no tricky questions will arise.

What really worried him was a piece of new news suddenly released by NASA last Friday:

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which has been confirmed to be retired, will stop orbit transfer and temporarily remain in its working orbit with an apogee altitude of 585km until the next arrangements are made.

The satellite is huge and still contains some toxic fuel, so since about two or three years ago, there have been concerns that it could enter an uncontrolled state and end up falling into a densely populated area.

The sudden adjustment of the disposal plan now is bound to attract the attention of the outside world.

But he had checked the Q&A draft in his hand again and again and confirmed that there was no content related to this matter.

Generally speaking, this means that if the media asks, he can only give an answer such as "no comment".

This is certainly not a problem, but it will make the atmosphere more awkward.

Thinking of this, Yambrick sighed slightly.

However, just as he was about to get up, he suddenly heard the sound of a door hinge turning behind him.

As the head of the news department, Yambrick likes to be alone for a while before the press conference begins, which is something the entire department knows.

So few people would be so ignorant as to come and disturb us.

What's more, he didn't even knock on the door.

He turned around with some anger, but before he could ask any questions, his expression turned into a smile.

The visitor turned out to be NASA's top executive, Director Michael Griffin.

"Director?"

Yambrick quickly stood up to greet him.

Griffin, who had just walked in, waved his hand to signal the other party to sit down again. He then pulled up a chair and sat next to him, placing a document and a USB drive in his hand on the table.

"The news that has just been finalized is related to the UARS satellite. Take a look."

After saying that, he yawned and looked tired.

It looked like the meeting had probably lasted the entire night.

It is not uncommon to release new information at short notice.

But it was related to the UARS satellite, which just solved Yambrick's urgent problem.

So the latter quickly opened the folder and quickly scanned the files inside.

Then, his expression changed from solemn to astonished.

"Director, I'm afraid..."

He never expected that such an "ordinary" satellite would be involved in the anti-missile interception test.

Griffin interrupted:

"Don't ask too much about the details. The specific answers to the relevant questions are all in this document. You just need to respond according to the contents..."

……

Yambrick's prediction was almost correct.

The first few items were quite standard and did not cause much waves.

When he announced the general arrangements for the "Return to the Moon" project, the content was so brief that it did not look like a serious plan at all, and in the end only three people raised their hands.

The first two reporters reluctantly asked some trivial questions, while the third reporter chose to go off topic and asked about the UARS satellite.

"It can be seen that this reporter is very curious about this."

Yambrick pulled out a standard smile:

"But you asked the right question. I do have some relevant news that I'm about to announce."

Hearing this, the reporters who were already drowsy woke up instantly.

"We will be working with Air Force Space Command to conduct an on-orbit intercept of the UARS satellite sometime between late this month and early next month..."

Before the crowd below could react, the projection screen behind Yambrick, which was originally displaying the NASA logo, suddenly flashed white light.

The above content also becomes a three-dimensional satellite orbit diagram.

"According to the original plan, UARS will be adjusted to a configuration orbit at an altitude of about 200km in the next few months, and then fall into the atmosphere at some point in the next 5-6 years."

As he introduced the story, the satellite orbiting the earth on the screen lowered its orbit and eventually fell into the earth in an arc:

"However, there are about 1400 million people living below the projection corresponding to the configured orbit. In order to ensure the safety of them and the spacecraft in the same orbit, we decided to use technical means to intercept the satellite and completely eliminate the possibility of the debris causing damage to human settlements..."

"..."

Big news.

Really big news!

A group of experienced journalists quickly realized the explosive topic behind this incident.

Less than half a month ago, China publicly announced that it had successfully launched a new medium-range ballistic missile and accurately hit the target.

Now, almost immediately afterwards, the United States is about to conduct a satellite interception test in an orbit of 500 kilometers.

To say there is no connection between these two things...

Only a fool would believe it!

The press conference, which was lifeless two minutes ago, was almost pushed to a climax in an instant.

The Washington Post reporter was the first to raise his hand, and unsurprisingly was chosen by Yambrick to ask a question.

"As far as I know, this satellite is currently operating in a near-circular orbit at an altitude of about 585 km. How can we ensure the success rate of interception at such an exaggerated altitude?"

To the surprise of others, he actually asked a technically inclined question first.

Yambrick naturally didn't understand missiles, but the document in front of him had just the answer ready:

"The standard 3block1A interceptor missile used in this plan is indeed difficult to send the kinetic interceptor to an altitude of 585km for co-orbital interception, but the Shiloh cruiser responsible for the interception mission is equipped with the latest BMD3.6.1 command system, which allows the interceptor to not enter orbit, but to directly aim at the target in a direct ascent method."

"At the same time, the satellite will make a final orbit change before the interception, entering an elliptical orbit with an apogee of 585km and a perigee of 210km, to ensure that the fenced structure can fall in the central Pacific Ocean in a controlled manner. The estimated final collision altitude will be slightly lower than the apogee, approximately between 470-510km..."

As he explained, in the animation on the screen, a missile with a slightly exaggerated design suddenly appeared from the surface of the earth and knocked down the satellite that was performing a trajectory change maneuver.

Perhaps because it was done too hastily, the clip even seemed a little funny, causing a burst of laughter from the audience.

The Washington Post started off with a somewhat strange lead, which led to three or four people asking questions that were all technology-related.

Yambrick, who came from an administrative background, was sweating profusely for a while.

Until the British reporter from the Daily Mail stood up and began to use his instinct to stir up trouble:

"We noticed that not long ago, China announced that it had launched a medium-range ballistic missile, and the trajectory was similar to that of the UARS satellite. I would like to ask, is there any military consideration behind your planned interception?"

The extremely pointed question made the originally relaxed and happy atmosphere suddenly tense.

However, Yambrick had actually been waiting for this to happen from the beginning.

He adjusted his tie slightly and replied seriously:

"All the behavioral norms of this test are implemented within the framework of the Peaceful Use of Outer Space. Shooting down a decommissioned satellite that may be out of control has nothing to do with military affairs. It is an example of proactively assuming international responsibility. We also hope to set an example for countries around the world to stop targeted provocative behavior and embrace a bright future of international cooperation..."

"..."