https://www.yahoo.com/news/science/articles/us-cold-war-spy-satellite-120003705.html
Yahoo! News
Geekspin
US Cold War spy satellite explodes above Earth with no warning
A retired Cold War spy satellite just blew up 480 miles above Earth
Justine Anifowose
Tue, September 29, 2026 at 5:00 AM PDT 2 min read
In a mysterious orbital event, a retired American Cold War-era spy satellite unexpectedly shattered into pieces hundreds of miles above our heads. With zero warning, the aging reconnaissance spacecraft abruptly fragmented, sending fresh space junk tumbling through one of the most crowded traffic lanes in low Earth orbit.
What was the USA 32 satellite?
The spacecraft in question, officially cataloged as USA 32 (and affectionately nicknamed "Farrah III"), wasn't just any random piece of space hardware.
Launched back on Sept. 5, 1988, aboard a Titan II SLV rocket, USA 32 was a signals-intelligence spacecraft operated by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). Its original Cold War mission was to sweep its antennas across the globe to intercept and monitor Soviet radar systems.
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Shaped like a squat cylinder, or a "tuna can," the satellite was designed to spin rapidly while sweeping for signals. After decades of secrecy, the government only fully declassified the program earlier this year.
Caught by tracking systems
The unexpected breakup occurred on September 13 at an altitude of approximately 775 kilometers (481 miles) above Earth.
U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) officially confirmed the fragmentation notice via Space-Track.org after independent tracking platforms, including KeepTrack Operations Center and private firm s2a systems, flagged unusual activity and photographed the satellite's largest remaining fragment.
Why did a 38-year-old satellite explode?
Because the breakup occurred without warning, space analysts are working to piece together what caused the failure. They are currently evaluating two leading theories:
Internal rupture: The leading theory suggests an internal pressure explosion. After nearly four decades in space, leftover propellant inside a pressurized tank or an old battery cell may have finally ruptured after endless cycles of solar heating and cooling.
Impact event: Another possibility is a high-speed strike from an undetected piece of small space debris or a tiny micrometeoroid.
Tracking teams have found no evidence indicating a deliberate anti-satellite weapon test or intentional act.
Threatening a crowded orbital neighborhood
While the explosion didn't immediately endanger crewed habitats like the International Space Station, which orbits much lower down, it created a serious hazard for robotic spaceflight.
USA 32 broke apart in a congested band of space. Over 200 active satellites operate within 30 miles of its breakup altitude, including the entire Iridium NEXT communications constellation and NOAA weather satellites.
Tracking networks will spend the coming weeks mapping every single piece of debris from USA 32 to ensure operational satellites can safely steer clear.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_10
Pioneer 10
From Wikipedia
Pioneer 10 (originally designated Pioneer F) is a NASA space probe launched in 1972 that completed the first mission to the planet Jupiter. It was the first spacecraft to traverse the asteroid belt and the first of five artificial objects to achieve the escape velocity needed to leave the Solar System. The mission was managed by NASA Ames Research Center
Pioneer 10 was launched on March 3, 1972, at 01:49:00 UTC (March 2 local time), aboard an Atlas-Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 36A. It passed through the asteroid belt from 15 July 1972 to 15 February 1973, becoming the first spacecraft to do so.
After its encounter with Jupiter, Pioneer 10 crossed Saturn's orbit in 1976 and Uranus's orbit in 1979. On June 13, 1983, it crossed Neptune's orbit, becoming the first human-made object to pass beyond the orbits of the Solar System's major planets.
In popular culture
In the 1989 film Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, a Klingon Bird-of-Prey destroys the spacecraft for target practice.
From 6/9/1989 ( premiere USA film "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" ) To 9/13/2026 ( ) is 13610 days
From 11/2/1965 ( my known birth date in Antlers, Oklahoma, USA, as Kerry Wayne Burgess ) To 2/6/2003 ( ) is 13610 days
by me, Kerry Burgess: posted by H.V.O.M at 6:53 PM Sunday, September 11, 2005
[titled by me, Kerry Burgess:] Art thou pale for weariness
I was reading this article yesterday about Dell and it made me think of two things. First, is a theory I had long ago and that theory is that I am caught up in some kind of effort to oust Bill Gates from control of Microsoft. Why I got caught up in it, I do not know, maybe because I already was The Microsoft Candidate. So anyway, the way I read this excerpted section below, along with some clues that were given to me even when I was at Microsoft by someone in the shadows, I suspect there is some friction between Ballmer and Gates.
"People always wonder how well a transition like this will work when the founder is staying very involved," Mr. Ballmer wrote in an e-mail message. But when people work together as well as Mr. Rollins and Mr. Dell do, he added, "it actually helps that the founder is staying involved, because you can continue to draw on each other's strengths." Mr. Ballmer has worked closely with both men, given the pre-eminence of both companies in the personal-computer universe.
As for the second thought this article gave me, that last excerpted sentence reminded me of something that happened while at Microsoft. I described this experience to someone else as the day the Sirius-starlamp dropped from the sky just like in The Truman Show. I was standing up in my desk talking to someone that was standing in the hallway 2 cubicles away. I won't name him here, but I used to sit across from him in my previous cubicle. I was talking happily about a new USB Flash Drive I had. I received it when I was at a conference a short time earlier, it was some kind of Information Worker conference I attended because that is my speciality, creating custom solutions for Microsoft Office applications. So anyway, I was standing there talking about this cool 128MB drive that was small enough to put on your key ring, and then I looked down at my Dell Dimension PC and I said, I don't know why Dell even puts floppy drives in these things anymore. I felt almost like I was dreaming when I read that very same thing in a CNet article the next day. Judging by the date on the article in question, listed below, that conversation at Microsoft must have occured on Feb. 5th. After reading the article, I wondered about who all was standing there listening to me because I assumed one of them must have something to do with it. But I couldn't think of anyone that had those kind of contacts. I had never heard of anyone talking about having that kind of influence. So that reinforced my suspicions there were hidden cameras around me. Just like with Marco in Manchurian Candidate, I could see some hidden camera in some dark, recessed hiding place watching me all the time. And I am convinced it was happening. They just won't admit it because they know it was wrong. And I am convinced even Ballmer knew about it even when I was working there. Then I remember other things from that time, just like in Manchurian Candidate, there was a Rose in my life, and just like Rose, she was named after a flower although it was a very obscure one that I doubt most people ever heard of. There is method of symbolism I like where one object represents another object, but they are very different. Just as one object is very well known, the other object is distinctly unknown and therein is a kind of symmetry that I like. There were other clues that were thrown in there too that were symbolic but not in a symmetrical manner and I don't want to give away more at risk of identifying her. Those were more of what I would call something like substitional symbolism. So anyway, before I get too far off on a tangent....
It was just this very minute, as I researched back to CNet's site to find the article to use as reference for this post, did I notice that the CNet article was published on February 6, 2003. I had not noticed that until now. It is quite the coincidence that I quit Microsoft exactly one year later. That also makes me feel suspicious because I had referenced this article before to other people and I wonder if the date on the original article has since been modified. I just don't know. I suspect they may be doing something like that to deflect attention away from possibly being caught up in all this. After all, they did publish this information. Maybe they published it because Dell told them about it, or maybe the reporter was the person that told Dell about what I said the previous day and then Dell decided to go along with it. So the train of information could have been me at Microsoft to Dell to reporter. Or it could have been from me at Microsoft to reporter to Dell. Or, hell, they could all have been watching The Kerry Channel at the same time, because Everybody Loves Truman. I am living in Bizarro World, I dream of home.
[from internet, hyperlink lost:]
Dell foments floppy's fall
Published: February 6, 2003
The PC maker, which currently ships a floppy with every Dimension desktop, believes that the drive is no longer necessary because of the availability of better storage devices. But it plans to gently nudge customers toward that philosophy. The floppy option on 8250 PCs is the first step. Round Rock, Texas-based Dell plans to offer its $20 USB Memory Key storage device, which holds 16MB of data, in place of the drive for the 1.44MB floppy.
The Dell USB Memory Key uses flash memory and works by plugging into a PC's USB port. When connected, the Dell-branded device appears on a computer's desktop as a removable hard drive, allowing people to drag and drop files for storage or to move them to another computer. When not in use, it fits into a shirt pocket.
[ends - from internet: Dell foments floppy's fall ; - Published: February 6, 2003]
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
(from internet transcript)
GOD: This starship. ...Could it carry my wisdom beyond the Barrier?
SYBOK: It could. Yes!
GOD: Then I shall make use of this starship.
SYBOK: It will be your chariot!
KIRK: Excuse me.
GOD: It will carry my power to every corner of creation.
KIRK: Excuse me. ...I'd just like to ask a question. ...What does God need with a starship?
GOD: Bring the ship closer.
KIRK: I said ...'What does God need with a starship?'
McCOY: Jim, what are you doing?
KIRK: I'm asking a question.
GOD: Who is this creature?
KIRK: Who am I? Don't you know? Aren't you God?
SYBOK: He ...has his doubts.
GOD: You doubt me?
KIRK: I seek proof.
McCOY: Jim, you don't ask the Almighty for his I.D.
GOD: Then here is the proof you seek.
(blue light rays shoot from God's eyes knocking Kirk backwards)
KIRK: Why is God angry?
SYBOK: Why? Why have you done this to my friend?
GOD: He doubts me.
SPOCK: You have not answered his question. What does God need with a starship?
(blue light rays shoot from God's eyes again knocking Spock backwards)
GOD: Do you doubt me?
McCOY: I doubt any God who inflicts pain for his own pleasure.
SYBOK: Stop! The God of Sha Ka Ree would not do this!
GOD: Sha Ka Ree? A vision you created. An eternity I've been imprisoned in this place! The ship! I must have the ship! Now ...give me what I want!
SPOCK: Sybok, ...this is not the God of Sha Ka Ree, ...or any other God!
SYBOK: I don't understand... Reveal yourself to me!
(an image of Sybok strides out of one of God's eyes)
SYBOK/GOD: What's wrong? Don't you like this face? I have so many but this one suits you best.
SYBOK: No! No, ...it's not possible.
GOD: Bring me the ship or I will destroy you!
SYBOK: The ship.
GOD: Bring it closer so that I might join with it. Do it or watch these puny beings ...die horribly.
SYBOK: What have I done?
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
(from internet transcript)
Captain's log, stardate 7414.1. Our best estimates place us some four hours from Earth. No significant progress thus far reviving Ilia memory patterns within the alien probe. This remains our only means of contact with our captor.
[Kirk's quarters]
DECKER (on viewscreen): All these vessels were called 'Enterprise'.
[Enterprise recreation deck]
DECKER: The carbon units use this area for recreation. ...This is one of the games. ...What type of recreation does the crew aboard your vessel enjoy?
ILIA PROBE: The words 'recreation' and 'enjoy' have no meaning to my programming.
DECKER: Ilia enjoyed this game, ...she nearly always won.
[Kirk's quarters]
McCOY: Good! He's using audial-visual association.
ILIA PROBE (on viewscreen): This device serves no purpose. ...Why does Enterprise require the presence of carbon units?
DECKER (on viewscreen): Enterprise would be unable to function without carbon units.
ILIA PROBE (on viewscreen): More data concerning this functioning is necessary before carbon units can be patterned for data storage.
DECKER (on viewscreen): What does that mean?
ILIA PROBE (on viewscreen): When my examination is complete, all carbon units will be reduced to data patterns.
From 7/8/1998 ( {puppet-in-chief} Bill Clinton, 42nd president of USA federal government 1993-2001: Remarks on Efforts to Promote Gun Safety and Responsibility ) To 9/13/2026 ( ) is 10294 days
10294 = 5147 + 5147
From 11/2/1965 ( my known birth date in Antlers, Oklahoma, USA, as Kerry Wayne Burgess ) To 12/6/1979 ( premiere USA film "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" ) is 5147 days
Stargate (1994)
(from internet transcript)
JOHNSON
Mrs. O'Neil, is your husband at home?
[She works on the dishes and reaches for a cigarette.]
MRS. O'NEIL
Yes.
JOHNSON
Do you think we might be able to speak with him?
[She shrugs as she finishes lighting her cigarette and takes a drag from it.]
MRS. O'NEIL
You can try.
INT TYLER O'NEIL'S ROOM
JOHNSON
Excuse me, Colonel O'Neil. We're from General West's office.
[O'Neil blinks, but does not turn around to face the men.]
JOHNSON
Sir? We're here to inform you...that you've been...reactivated.
EXT SUBURBAN STREET, DAY
[The two officers get back in their sedan.]
OFFICER TWO
The guy's a mess. How'd he get like that?
From 10/24/1994 ( premiere USA film "Stargate" ) To 9/13/2026 ( ) is 11647 days
From 11/2/1965 ( my known birth date in Antlers, Oklahoma, USA, as Kerry Wayne Burgess ) To 9/22/1997 ( premiere USA TV series "Timecop" ) is 11647 days
The Washington Post
Toward the Stars
June 14, 1983
The Pioneer 10 spacecraft sailed out of the solar system this morning, becoming the first man-made object to enter interstellar space
previously here by me, Kerry Burgess
From 11/10/1967 ( premiere USA TV series episode "Star Trek"::"Metamorphosis" ) To 6/21/1985 ( ) is 6433 days
From 11/2/1965 ( my known birth date in Antlers, Oklahoma, USA, as Kerry Wayne Burgess ) To 6/14/1983 ( from The Washington Post newspaper: Toward the Stars ) is 6433 days
From 9/16/1958 ( premiere USA TV "The Fountain of Youth" ) To 5/5/1978 ( Jimmy Carter, 39th president of USA federal government 1977-1981: Spokane, Washington ; Remarks at Dedication Ceremonies for Riverfront Park ) is 7171 days
From 11/2/1965 ( my known birth date in Antlers, Oklahoma, USA, as Kerry Wayne Burgess ) To 6/21/1985 ( ) is 7171 days
IMDb
Cocoon (1985)
Release Info
USA 21 June 1985
- by me, Kerry Wayne Burgess, posted by me: 10:55 AM Pacific-timezone USA Tuesday 09/29/2026
