Thought that would get your attention.

But today Two big communications satellites collided in the first-ever crash of two intact spacecraft in orbit, shooting out a pair of massive debris clouds and posing a slight risk to the international space station.

I wonder how secure we've felt with all of our little electronic devices to get us out of harms way (cell phone, sat phones, plb's, epirbs, spot,gps etc..)when something as simple as a solar flare, tin whiskers, or a dead soviet or Chinese satellite ramming into one of, or a series of critical communications or navigation satellites render them useless.I'm not much of a Ham operator as I know we have quite the numbers here but it kind of reinforces the use of a dying bread of land communications.

I've spent over a decade putting people, and objects into space (some good,some bad) and I know how fragile the systems are and how easily they can fail, it's a nature of weight VS cost. This is a reminder that sometimes the old ways should always be kept as a backup in case, compasses, maps, 2 way radios, any equipment that you may need to survive a long wait for a rescue. Sometimes the weight of a good bivy or small tent and a good quality down or synthetic bag and a stainless steel pot or cup and some fire starting flint can go a long way if it's going to be a while getting rescued or what have you. Just a thought....................

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090211/ap_on_sc/satellite_collision

2 big satellites collide 500 miles over Siberia

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Two big communications satellites collided in the first-ever crash of two intact spacecraft in orbit, shooting out a pair of massive debris clouds and posing a slight risk to the international space station.

NASA said it will take weeks to determine the full magnitude of the crash, which occurred nearly 500 miles over Siberia on Tuesday.

The collision involved an Iridium commercial satellite, which was launched in 1997, and a Russian satellite launched in 1993 and believed to be nonfunctioning. The Russian satellite was out of control, Matney said.

The Iridium craft weighed 1,235 pounds, and the Russian craft nearly a ton.

No one has any idea yet how many pieces were generated or how big they might be.

As for pieces the size of micrometers, the count will likely be in the thousands, he added.