How To Destroy $135 Million Almost Instantly
from the drop-a-satellite dept
Whoops. Last year, workers at Lockheed Martin, attempting to move a $239 million satellite, dropped the satellite 3 whole feet, causing $135 million worth of damages. An investigation into the matter now blames workers who failed to follow anything resembling procedure in checking to see if the device was secured before moving it. Still, who sets up a $200+ million satellite in a way that a simple 3 foot drop will cause $135 million worth of damages?
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3 foot drop...
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Re: 3 foot drop...
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Satellites are fragile...
Uh, no-one if they follow procedures...
Satellites are fragile. They have bracing and internal chassis that holds them together during relocation and launch (about 24 bolts, apparently), but their "skin" is usually a mixture of extremely expensive solar collectors, reflective material, antennae, and given that it's a weather satellite, high precision optics (the article mentioned that two such instruments were damaged), ... the list goes on. Satellites are also usually heavy - so letting them fall a meter gives a fair bit of momentum to bash in some of those expensive bits sticking out - thus damaging internal componentry as well.
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More than 3 feet
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OOOP's
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Satellite Doom with a View
Maybe there's some securitycam tapes floating around, let's hope something appears. It'd be a perfect start to a new season of "America's Funniest Corporate Videos".
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