"It's a warning for reconnaissance satellite 2020-TBK93, it's going to be hit by space debris, immediate evasive action is required, no..."
Clarke was in charge of monitoring space debris. He originally thought it was a false alarm, but quickly realized something wasn't right, as the approaching space debris had also altered its trajectory, heading straight for the NASA-owned satellite.
His team had just made an adjustment to change the satellite's orbit, and it takes time for the engines to initiate the change. Meanwhile, the space debris moved rapidly and soon collided with it.
The next second, ground control lost contact with the NASA reconnaissance satellite.
Clarke, who had come to his senses, hurriedly checked the status of the space debris. Its sudden change in direction and acceleration suggested it was likely not space debris at all, since space debris typically has a fixed velocity and direction, unlike the collision behavior just witnessed.
