On September 13, 1985, Maj. Doug Pearson flew a modified F-15A, nicknamed "Celestial Eagle," to 38,000 ft, and fired the ASM-135A straight up like a space-bound javelin. Minutes later, it slammed into the defunct 6.8-ft Solwind P78-1 satellite orbiting 290 miles above Earth - hitting within six inches of center. One missile. One Eagle. One perfect space kill. The concept worked. But due to rising costs and treaty concerns over space militarization, the program was shelved and quietly cancelled in 1988. 3/3