On target: US Navy missile shoots down satellite
WASHINGTON, FEB 21: A navy missile soaring 210 kilometres above the Pacific smashed a dying and potentially deadly US spy satellite and probably destroyed a tank carrying 450 kilograms of toxic fuel, officials said. Officials had expressed cautious optimism that the missile would hit the satellite, which was the size of a school bus. But they were less certain of hitting the smaller, more problematic fuel tank, whose contents posed what Bush administration officials deemed a potential health hazard to humans if it landed intact. In a statement late on Wednesday announcing that the Navy missile struck the satellite, the Pentagon said, "Confirmation that the fuel tank has been fragmented should be available within 24 hours.' It made no mention of early indications, but a defence official close to the situation said later that officials monitoring the collision saw what appeared to be an explosion, indicating that the fuel tank was hit. The USS Lake Erie, armed with an SM-3 missile designed to knock down incoming missiles