Answer by RBarryYoung for Why did the Soviets not shoot down US spy...
I wanted to add something not covered in any of the other excellent answers:A spy satellite does NOT just spy on one country, by necessity they all spy on The Entire World.(well *effectively*,...
View ArticleAnswer by Dee Tee for Why did the Soviets not shoot down US spy satellites...
There is one other factor at play, which isn't mentioned in the answers so far. If you don't actually want a war it is advantageous to have mutual spy capabilities so you know in broad terms what the...
View ArticleAnswer by DrSheldon for Why did the Soviets not shoot down US spy satellites...
There is actually a legal-political answer to this question.First, sovereign national airspace does not extend indefinitely. The Outer Space Treaty makes "outer space" belong to all mankind.Article...
View ArticleAnswer by fraxinus for Why did the Soviets not shoot down US spy satellites...
Even if we simplify out the Kessler syndrome problem (it is not that bad in low enough orbits), we still have the economy problem.A launch of a whatever "satellite killer" missile is of a comparable...
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Answer by Machavity for Why did the Soviets not shoot down US spy satellites...
It's been alluded to in other answers, but a major problem with shooting down satellites is the satellite is going to fragment and these fragments will fly in every direction. Those pieces of space...
View ArticleAnswer by Ian Kemp for Why did the Soviets not shoot down US spy satellites...
Let's rephrase the question:Why did the Soviets not arbitrarily invade NATO territory?The answer, of course, is "because that would have started World War III". And thus the question as asked, is...
View ArticleAnswer by Bib for Why did the Soviets not shoot down US spy satellites during...
You do not shoot down satellites, you destroy them in-situ.That results in a large debris field orbiting the planet that gradually spreads out.Anything passing through that debris file will likely be...
View ArticleAnswer by Andrew is gone for Why did the Soviets not shoot down US spy...
The precedent for allowing overflight was first set by the USSR in 1957, with Sputnik I. From then on, neither major power saw it as to their advantage to challenge it - they were both keen to get...
View ArticleWhy did the Soviets not shoot down US spy satellites during the Cold War?
The USSR was not happy with unauthorised overflights, shooting down everything it could, from spy balloons to U-2s. Also, despite repeated US proposals, something like the Open Skies treaty was only...
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