The Pentagon said today it plans to use a missile to try and shoot down a spy satellite that's out of control and likely to re-enter the atmosphere and land on Earth.

Here's a CTV.ca feature I wrote on the issue from this past weekend.

I wonder if this is more of a real-world opportunity to test some of the U.S.'s missile-shield technology than an effort to protect the world against the ravages of hydrazine. The Pentagon says no:

The dramatic maneuver may well trigger international concerns, and U.S. officials have begun notifying other countries of the plan -- stressing that it does not signal the start of a new American anti-satellite weapons program.

Military and administration officials said the satellite is carrying fuel called hydrazine that could injure or even kill people who are near it when it hits the ground. That reason alone, they said, persuaded President Bush to order the shoot-down.

''That is the only thing that breaks it out, that is worthy of taking extraordinary measures,'' said Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a Pentagon briefing.