Assessment of Flight 17's shootdown over Ukraine - includes imperial and metric measurements; 45th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing

Three days ago, a Malaysian Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over southeastern Ukraine. The plane was a Boeing 777-200ER, flying at an altitude of about 33,000 ft (10 km). Satellite data and civilian accounts indicate the missile was fired from between the villages of Torez and Snizhne.

Some airlines chose to direct flights around contested areas in Ukraine when the fighting broke out, but others (such as Malaysia Airlines) opted to simply increase flight altitude to avoid shootdowns by weapons known to be in possession of rebel forces.

Rebels initially bragged about the kill on social media, assuming it was another Ukrainian military transport, but removed their comments when it became clear it was a civilian flight. Rebels currently deny shooting it down and attribute the posts to government disinfo agents, and deny having any weapons capable of striking high enough. The rebels and the Russian government blame the attack on Ukraine. The Ukrainian government attributes the attack to the rebels.

The Ukrainian government has released audio clips it claims to be definitive proof of the insurgents' responsibility. The clips' authenticity is undetermined. In one such clip, purported rebels are supposedly speaking with a Russian operative supplying them with a potent anti-aircraft system. They asked for the "Buk" surface-to-air-missile system by name. In another clip, they express dismay at accidentally shooting down a civilian aircraft.

The 9K37 Buk (NATO reporting name "SA-11 Gadfly") is a surface-to-air-missile (SAM) launching vehicle capable of attacking targets at altitudes up to 46,000 feet (14 km) with the earlier model missiles. Said missiles are semi-active radar-homing (they require a launch vehicle to keep radar waves directed at the target) with a range of 19 miles (30 kilometers) and travel at Mach 3. The warhead weighs 154.3 lbs (70 kg), more than enough to tear apart a commercial airliner.

The rebels supposedly captured a Gadfly from the Ukrainian armed forces in June, but they claim it isn't operational yet. US intelligence assessments concur that the rebel-captured Gadfly was not ready at the time of Flight 17's shootdown.

Up to this point the most common Man-Portable Air Defense System - or MANPADS for short - used by rebel forces was the 9K38 Igla (NATO reporting name "SA-18 Grouse"). The Grouse's flight ceiling is about 11,000 ft (3.5km), making it incapable of attacking most airliners. However, a Grouse was involved in shooting down an Ilyushin IL-76 of the Ukrainian Air Force, which killed all 49 people onboard.

Russian fighters and equipment have swarmed across the border with Ukraine to aid the rebels. At least one convoy contained several main battle tanks, old T-54s from the early years of the Cold War; the Russian military mothballs much of its obsolete equipment rather than scrapping or selling it. Russia has been accused of aiding the rebels in numerous ways, including by delivering equipment to them.

It's worth noting that a few days prior to Flight 17 being shot down, a Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 ground-attack aircraft (NATO reporting name "Frogfoot") flying in southeastern Ukraine was shot down. The perpetrator was a Russian MiG-29 (NATO reporting name "Fulcrum") that entered Ukrainian airspace.

45 years ago today, the most ambitious operation mankind has ever undertaken commenced. On June 20, 1969, the command module of Apollo 11 landed in the Sea of Tranquility. Six hours later, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the Moon, followed by Edwin E. "Buzz" Aldrin. Since Apollo 17 left the surface of the Moon, no manned mission has been carried out.

The immense cost of launching craft into space with conventional rockets has been the main limit on space missions since the USSR launched Sputnik 1. As the payload increases, the cost of fuel and size of the rockets increases drastically. Until we can find ways past these limits with alternative methods of delivering launch vehicles, mankind is stuck here on Earth.

And since that crowning moment of the Space Age, the advent of cellular phones and the Internet have brought in a new age, an Information Age where people across the world can easily communicate in real-time and share information. It's brought the world closer together.

When Apollo 11 landed on the Moon - and more recently when the latest rover landed on Mars and Voyager 1 entered the interstellar medium - humanity came together in collective pride, with the knowledge that we achieved something great. And we're not even close to done yet. Scientific research is something we should all be behind, not something to be disregarded, or that a politician can simply say they "disagree". Call, write, email or talk to your representative in your country's government, and tell them that science matters to you.

Comments

[Kabuto901]

Yeah I'm not going to be flying on a Malaysian Airlines plane anytime soon even if I live in Malaysia