Disabled spy craft falling to Earth

WASHINGTON - A large U.S. spy satellite has lost power and could hit Earth in late February or early March, government officials said yesterday.

The satellite, which can no longer be controlled, could contain hazardous materials, and it is unknown where it might come down, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information is classified as secret.

"Appropriate government agencies are monitoring the situation," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said when asked about the matter after other officials disclosed it. "Numerous satellites over the years have come out of orbit and fallen harmlessly. We are looking at potential options to mitigate any possible damage this satellite may cause."

He would not comment on whether it was possible for the satellite to be shot down by a missile. He said it would be inappropriate to discuss specifics at this time.

A senior government official said that lawmakers and other nations were being kept apprised of the situation.

Such an uncontrolled reentry could risk exposure of U.S. secrets, said John Pike, a defense and intelligence expert. Spy satellites typically are disposed of through a controlled reentry into the ocean so no one else can access the spacecraft, he said.

Pike said it was unlikely the threat from the satellite could be eliminated by shooting it down with a missile, because that would create debris that would reenter the atmosphere and burn up or hit the ground.

Pike, director of the defense research group GlobalSecurity.org, estimated that the craft weighs 20,000 pounds and is the size of a small bus. He said it would create 10 times less debris than the Columbia space shuttle crash in 2003.

As for possible hazardous material, Pike said the satellite might contain beryllium, a light metal with a high melting point that is used in the defense and aerospace industries. Breathing it can lead to chronic, incurable respiratory problems.

Jeffrey Richelson, a senior fellow with the National Security Archive, said the spacecraft was probably a photo reconnaissance satellite. Such eyes in the sky gather visual information from space about adversarial governments and terrorist groups, including construction at suspected nuclear sites. They also can be used to survey damage from natural disasters.

Skylab, the 78-ton abandoned space station that fell from orbit in 1979, made the largest uncontrolled reentry by a NASA spacecraft. Its debris dropped harmlessly into the Indian Ocean and across a remote section of Australia.