Jan
27

Falling U.S. Spy satellite contains Hydrazine

By Ben Tremblay

In my previous post I talked about the U.S. spy satellite that will soon enter our atmosphere because it is falling from orbit. I mentioned it contains hazardous materials. It is confirmed that the satellite contains Hydrazine. Hydrazine is a rocket fuel that was used during WWII for the Messerschmidt Me 163B and is now commonly used as a low-power mono propellant for the maneuvering thrusters of spacecraft. Hydrazine is a colorless liquid with an ammonia-like odor and can cause harm to anyone who contacts it.

Here’s the safety note about Hydrazine from Wikipedia:

Hydrazine is highly toxic and dangerously unstable, especially in the anhydrous form. Symptoms of acute exposure to high levels of hydrazine in humans may include irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, dizziness, headache, nausea, pulmonary edema, seizures, coma, and it can also damage the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. The liquid is corrosive and may produce dermatitis from skin contact in humans and animals. Effects to the lungs, liver, spleen, and thyroid have been reported in animals chronically exposed to hydrazine via inhalation. Increased incidences of lung, nasal cavity, and liver tumors have been observed in rodents exposed to hydrazine.

There’s good chances the satellite won’t cause any harm and that it will be dealt with correctly, but still my reflexion from the previous post remains. Why aren’t there any mechanism built in the satellite to deal with this situation accordingly instead of taking unnecessary chances?

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Categories : Science, space

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