Could a Dirty Rag Take Out a $2 Billion Satellite?

An anonymous reader writes "The alleged rescue of a U.S. military communications satellite underscores some of the weaknesses in U.S. space efforts. Quoting: 'The seven-ton ?AEHF-1,? part of a planned six-satellite constellation meant to support radio communication between far-flung U.S. military units, had been in orbit just one day when the problems began. The satellite started out in a highly-elliptical, temporary orbit. The plan was to use the spacecraft?s on-board engine to boost it to a permanent, geo-stationary orbit. But when the Air Force space operators at Los Angeles Air Force Base activated the engine, nothing happened. The Government Accountability Office would later blame the failure on a rag left inside a fuel line by a Lockheed worker.'"

Source: http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdotScience/~3/MSPyy3GiCvg/could-a-dirty-rag-take-out-a-2-billion-satellite

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