When you cherish the traditions of democracy and have respect for the rule of law, you may possibly be able to join the real world.

Until then, Boo Hoo Hoo.

Terrorists haven't hit an unmanned aircraft yet, much less a manned spacecraft. Good luck.

Even if it wasn't a major target, thay would try for it, just to say they did it.

They absolutley would attampt to go after manned spacecraft as well.

The U.S. and it's allies need to develop a system that can trace the launch location of an anti-sat missile. Obviously, this would rely on satellites too, but if placed in a high enough orbit, they would be out of reach.

Although it'll be a long time before terrorists can threaten anything in geostationary orbits (nations are another issue), understand that 'TV' satellites are rarely just that. Various on-board transponders serve various other uses, including voice and data (and as voice/video have long been carried as a digital bitstream, the difference is almost meaningless).

Now, the economic situation is already
precarious enough…imagine the effect of taking out a signifigant chunk of communications supporting real-time, world-wide financial transactions and you can see why the 'bad guys' might be interested in doing harm to satcoms…

Even sudden, signifigant TV disruption (coordinated with some other major action…imagine if it could have been done at the same time as September 11?) could only enhance fear and anxiety in the US and other western nations.

Some of their brightest people obviously have the intelligence to do that, surely, but with the backward, fatalistic societies that they live in, they are better off sticking to throwing rocks.

Realistically, you don't have to make a direct hit in order to do damage. There are enough satellites in low earth orbit, that a couple of well placed shots of scattered debris in a retrograde orbit at a few common declinations will do a great deal of damage. Perhaps not immediately, but over time it is very likely.
Don't forget the snowball affect of debris. With the time and expense of satellites, there isn't a lot of built in redundancy for many of them. For those who don't think their life would be affected by the loss of several satellites is simply ignorant. For instance over 60% of credit card transactions at gas pumps travel via satellite, and it would put a large strain on logistical movement of goods, greatly slowing down and degrading efficiency which you'll immediately see in the cost of goods and services.

What would terrorists get by striking them down? Well, lets see. We use satellites to coordinate tactial actions, develop plans, gain visual and electromagnetic information, predict weather, network equipment, notify us of rocket launches, navigate, tracking, intelligence etc. Basically, protect the homeland. Could you get by without it? Sure, but you wouldn't be as effective, and more lives will be lost. Not very comforting if one of those lost is you. These items aren't easily or cheaply replaced; making them prized targets.

My nephew served in the Iranian Army and the majority of the soldiers he served with were extremely fascinated with his American roots. They asked about America all the time. What they do in public is just a mask. They could care less about blowing us up. They just want us out of their back yard. I told my nephew that was a simple task. No weapons recquired. Just organize into labor unions and demand teamster wages. The capitalists will leave tomorrow.

"They could even blow up the HST!"

Now that would piss me off.

Still, we have much, much better things to worry about than those long shots. Instead of going all paranoid about that kind of stuff, we'd accoplish a LOT more if we made an effort to reduce international tensions. And if we put financial institutions firmly under control.

A LOT more.

The Space Shuttle and the ISS are just as much "satellites" (objects orbiting the Earth) as any communications or spy satellite are.

With appropriate aim and a sufficiently useful warhead terrorists could destroy a manned spacecraft, the ISS, or any future manned space station.

in WWIII we will have more to worry about than "affecting the entire developed world".

Its a good thing no one has a bone to pick with the soviets….

I'm going to go cry now.

My fear wouldn't be for superpowers duking it out tho.
Sooner or later someones bound to idiot proof the equipment… then export it to places where folks could care less about the full implications of taking pot luck shots at our stuff.

Having the means to defeat these systems, saving our equipment, would give us more options than to simply counter attack.

LOL – See our demands are met or we're going to temporarily suspend afternoon TV. So there! Take that you western pigs!

Also Osama says to tell you that he thinks your mother needs to shave her moustache off – you filthy Infidel son of a flower press maker!