Our nation's military just made the most amazing shot in history, destroying that satelite that was headed for earth.  Way to go military guys!  I feel a little safer this morning.

I agree.  Score one for the good guys.  Shooting from a ship bobbing in the ocean and hitting a target 130 miles away moving at 5 MILES PER SECOND (17K miles per hour) - that's some good shootin'.

After working as a system maintenance team leader for a patriot missile system in the Army, I can tell you...those guys at Raytheon are great.  They design a missile system to do one thing, and then they can fine-tine it and rewrite the software to do something even they never expected a missile to be able to do!

Windage and elevation ;D ;D ;D

Kuddos to the Naval personnel responsible for that NICE SHOT!!!

WAY TO GO!!

Now if only they could invent a system that tracks only bass over 5 lbs.  

Windage and elevation ;D ;D ;D

Now lead it by about 250 miles, and you'll hit it every time. ;D ;D ;D

Yeah, right

That is amazing That should make anyone who wants to take a shot at the USA reconsider their options.

After working as a system maintenance team leader for a patriot missile system in the Army, I can tell you...those guys at Raytheon are great.  They design a missile system to do one thing, and then they can fine-tine it and rewrite the software to do something even they never expected a missile to be able to do!

What did Raytheon do? The real feat was accomplished by Lockheed Martin and the Aegis radar system. My dad works for LM and from what little he can tell me, the Aegis is one of the country's most valuable assets.

Remember sitting in high school geometry saying,..."When am I ever gonna use this stuff?" ;D

Remember sitting in high school geometry saying,..."When am I ever gonna use this stuff?" ;D

Nope....never made it past Algebra in HS!  

After working as a system maintenance team leader for a patriot missile system in the Army, I can tell you...those guys at Raytheon are great. They design a missile system to do one thing, and then they can fine-tine it and rewrite the software to do something even they never expected a missile to be able to do!

What did Raytheon do? The real feat was accomplished by Lockheed Martin and the Aegis radar system. My dad works for LM and from what little he can tell me, the Aegis is one of the country's most valuable assets.

Raytheon produces that missile, the sm-3.  Lockheed definitely played a huge role in the development/implementation phased array radar used with the Aegis system, but they arent the only ones.  I was stating that I knew how great the Raytheon guys were, because they are the ones I have experience with.  Other contributors to the Aegis system include: Boeing, Alliant Techsystems (ATK), Honeywell, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (Lincoln Lab)...so it was obviously a joint effort, as it always is in military contracts.

I wonder if we will ever get to see the video that we know probably exists?  Even if it is an edited version.

buckeye, I think the Aegis was more important in this operation than the actual missile but yeah, you are right about the cooperation. The important thing is that we have technology capable of incredible things.

dave, there is a video. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/21/AR2008022100641.html?hpid=topnews

I wonder if we will ever get to see the video that we know probably exists? Even if it is an edited version.

I agreee.  I read where the collision speed was to occur at over - get this - 22,000 MPH.

Amazing.

1 shot 1 kill, ooh rah

Zel...

Now if only they could invent a system that tracks only bass over 5 lbs.

I imagine that would cost a pretty penny!

Yeah probably... but after your 7th trip and not catching anything over 2 lbs, I would find the funds somehow.