Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site petrus.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!whuxlm!harpo!decvax!bellcore!petrus!karn
From: karn@petrus.UUCP (Phil R. Karn)
Newsgroups: net.rumor,net.physics,net.space
Subject: Re: ASAT
Message-ID: <595@petrus.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 25-Sep-85 12:47:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: petrus.595
Posted: Wed Sep 25 12:47:45 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 28-Sep-85 07:49:02 EDT
References: <1764@hao.UUCP> <652@ucsfcgl.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Bell Communications Research, Inc
Lines: 17
Xref: watmath net.rumor:1111 net.physics:3298 net.space:4577

> >Guess what? The "defunct military satellite" shot down
> >by ASAT as a test was really a functioning scientific
> >satellite called SOLWIND or something like that ( at least
> >that`s how the rumor goes ). Tsk tsk. 

I'd like to suggest to the Pentagon that for their next ASAT test (I'm sure
that they won't consider just one test to be sufficient) they use Ronald
Reagan as their target. Clearly, HE has outlived HIS usefulness, and HE
will likely "die of old age" pretty soon anyway. Further, his brain is
already somewhere in outer space, so they'll save the launching costs
(but they may have some trouble finding something that small and far away
on radar).

He's also so good at evading questions at press conferences that it should
be an excellent test of the ASAT weapon's maneuvering capabilities.

Phil