A different kind of doubt still lingers, though, expressed by policy analysts, some politicians and scientists, and not a few foreign powers, especially China and Russia:
Should the people of the world be breathing a sigh of relief that the risk of a half-ton of frozen, toxic rocket fuel landing who knows where has passed? Or should they be worried about the latest display of the United States’ technical prowess, and see it as a thinly veiled test for a shadow antisatellite program?
Really? Is it really necessary to question the intentions of the United States? Does everything really have to be that anti-American? After all, let us remember, it was the Chinese who first blew a satellite out of the sky, and there was very little doubt as to what their goal was. Had the fuel tank of this satellite landed in the center of New York, London, Paris, Toronto, Moscow, or Beijing, there would have been holy hell to pay. Shooting it down was precisely the right thing to do. Since China already opened the door to using offensive weapons against satellites, I have absolutely no problem if the United States chooses to use data from this for military intel. China and any other countries looking at first strike capabilities against satellites need to know that doing so will ensure a similar action will be taken against their communications and intelligence properties in space. In the spirit of MAD, people should be cheering the fact that no one nation (ahem, China) has this capability.
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