Feb 16, 10:24 AM (ET)

By LIZ AUSTIN PETERSON
HOUSTON (AP) - Military plans to shoot down a damaged U.S. spy satellite carrying toxic fuel will not concern the crew aboard the international space station, commander Peggy Whitson said Saturday.

The military hopes to smash the satellite as soon as next week - just before it enters Earth's atmosphere - with a single missile fired from a Navy cruiser in the northern Pacific Ocean.

It was unclear how close the satellite will be to the space station when it is shot down. NASA referred questions to the Defense Department, which did not immediately return a message seeking clarification.

Whitson, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and French astronaut Leopold Eyharts will still be in orbit 215 miles above Earth when the satellite is targeted. The satellite will be about 150 miles up when the shot is fired.

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Why would anyone be worried that it would be anywhere near the space station? They're at totally different altitudes. It wouldn't matter a whit.

Just due dilligence, Torgo. I don't think anyone's worried (save maybe the press).
They are both on polar oriented orbits, and when there are humans present on-orbit, well, you know, the full situation is analyzed...no one would be doing anything of any sort anywhere close to the ISS or any manned spacecraft.

any debris that would travel at a fast speed and hit the ISS would be deadly serious.

What are the chances of a miss? Have we taken any lessons from the Chinese?

And yes, Legatus, in the vaccuum of space, any object set in motion will continue in motion until acted upon by an outside force.

let us hope it is not a miss. as there will be over 2000lbs of intact debris heading into the space and place we call terra firma.

There is more chance of survival if we do miss than if we hit, but they have thrusters on the space station. It all depends on the maneuverability of the space station if we hit. There has to be some stastics inserted here. This earth is 2/3 water, roughly. And we have the instruments to view exactly where this thing is going to hit. If the thing is going to hit land, my God, use your instruments and vacate the possible landing sites. Somewhere there is going to be loss of thousands of years; if it is in space, out of sight out of mind, I guess. Zoom zoom! Boom boom!