Russia Weighs In

Perhaps predictably, Moscow is questioning the reasoning behind the coming U. S. attempt to shoot down a damaged U. S. spy satellite before it re-enters Earth's atmosphere. Russia suggests the attempt is a "veiled" test of an anti-satellite capability.

For its part, the Bush administration has instructed U. S. diplomats around the world to distinguish between America's attempt to deal with a potentially dangerous situation-- left alone, perhaps hundreds of pounds of debris and dangerous fuel could reach the ground-- and China's destruction of a satellite in January, 2007. The Chinese action seems to have been an obvious test of anti-satellite technology.

The driver of the Russian statement is a proposed treaty banning weapons in space. Even though the American attempt and the Chinese action both involve direct launches from Earth, some see the U. S. action as a first step towards introducing weapons into Earth orbit. Russia and China support the proposed treaty, while the U, S. argues it's written to specifically restrain U. S. programs.

Whatever happens with the attempted shoot down, the issue of governing human activities in space will be far from settled.