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Huge Tumbling Satellite Could Fall to Earth Over US Tonight or Saturday, NASA Says (UPDATED)
Space.com ^ | 9/23/11 | Tariq Malik

Posted on 09/23/2011 10:07:53 AM PDT by Evil Slayer

A huge, dead satellite tumbling to Earth is falling slower than expected, and may now plummet down somewhere over the United States tonight or early Saturday, despite forecasts that it would miss North America entirely, NASA officials now say.

The 6 1/2-ton Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) was expected to fall to Earth sometime this afternoon (Sept. 23), but changes in the school bus-size satellite's motion may push it to early Saturday, according to NASA's latest observations of the spacecraft.

"The satellite's orientation or configuration apparently has changed, and that is now slowing its descent," NASA officials wrote in a morning status update today. "There is a low probability any debris that survives re-entry will land in the United States, but the possibility cannot be discounted because of this changing rate of descent."

NASA expects about 26 large pieces of the UARS spacecraft to survive re-entry through Earth's atmosphere and reach the planet's surface. The biggest piece should weigh about 300 pounds. The spacecraft is the largest NASA satellite to fall from space uncontrolled since 1979.

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: deadsatellite; nasa; reentry; satellite; uars
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To: Jack Hydrazine

Where is the burn reentry point? 50 miles?


241 posted on 09/23/2011 8:00:10 PM PDT by GOPJ (126 people were indicted for being terrorists in the last two years. Every one of them was Muslim.)
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To: Jack Hydrazine

I wonder when it will start lighting up radar systems, and I don’t mean weather?


242 posted on 09/23/2011 8:00:10 PM PDT by txhurl (Did you want to talk or fish? Or feed the fish?)
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To: Jack Hydrazine

Update #12
As of 10:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 23, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 85 miles by 90 miles (135 km by 140 km). Re-entry is expected between 11:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, and 12:45 a.m., Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time (3:45 a.m. to 4:45 a.m. GMT). During that time period, the satellite will be passing over Canada and Africa, as well as vast areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The risk to public safety is very remote.


243 posted on 09/23/2011 8:00:12 PM PDT by lwoodham (There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.)
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To: Jack Hydrazine

Headed towards Spain and Africa.


244 posted on 09/23/2011 8:00:42 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
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To: Carry_Okie

Falling satellite slows down, Earth strike delayed

(AP) — A 6-ton NASA satellite on a collision course with Earth clung to space Friday, apparently flipping position in its ever-lower orbit and stalling its death plunge.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/09/20/national/a105333D87.DTL

_

I agree , we need to develop and use technology to avert a larger catastrophe


245 posted on 09/23/2011 8:00:55 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Obama: Epic Fail or Bust!!!)
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To: Cementjungle

it is heading to osouth Greenland soon, then off to Europe


246 posted on 09/23/2011 8:01:03 PM PDT by RaceBannon (Ron Paul is to the Constitution what Fred Phelps is to the Bible.)
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To: Cementjungle

Nothing was visible from So. Cal.. My guess is that it turned to a crispy critter over the South Pacific.


247 posted on 09/23/2011 8:02:06 PM PDT by Redcloak (Sans Couth)
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To: Jet Jaguar

Guess I can go to bed now.

It will probably land in the Sahara Desert.


248 posted on 09/23/2011 8:02:59 PM PDT by Palladin (Rick Perry: The one with the big cojones.)
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To: Jack Hydrazine
Predicted Location: 30.9°N, 218.9°E (NE of Hawaii?)

It must be nice to live on a hypersphere. However there is no "218.9°E" on this planet:

"Longitude is given as an angular measurement ranging from 0° at the Prime Meridian to +180° eastward and −180° westward."

If that's where the thing is going to fall, it will miss the Earth :-)

249 posted on 09/23/2011 8:02:59 PM PDT by Greysard
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To: Cyber Liberty

They don’t call it URAS for nothing!

u
A re
R EALLY
S crewed


250 posted on 09/23/2011 8:02:59 PM PDT by 21twelve (Obama Recreating the New Deal: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts)
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To: Buckeye McFrog

Yes, it does, especially as I have somewhere about a 1 in a 1,000,000,000 chance of winning the Publishing Clearing House Sweepststakes!


251 posted on 09/23/2011 8:03:33 PM PDT by SatinDoll (NO FOREIGN NATIONALS AS OUR PRESIDENT!)
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To: GOPJ

About 76 miles I think.


252 posted on 09/23/2011 8:03:58 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: Palladin

At least you can shower now without a moose eating all the cheese.


253 posted on 09/23/2011 8:04:45 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
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To: Jack Hydrazine

Thanks.


254 posted on 09/23/2011 8:05:29 PM PDT by GOPJ (126 people were indicted for being terrorists in the last two years. Every one of them was Muslim.)
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To: Greysard

Over the Atlantic now and headed for Spain.


255 posted on 09/23/2011 8:05:51 PM PDT by lwoodham (There are 10 kinds of people, those who understand binary and those who don't.)
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To: Greysard

Let me re-check that.


256 posted on 09/23/2011 8:06:05 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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To: Palladin

Think positive!

Then again, it could land on a cruise ship!

You betcha.. strange times are upon us.

We’re boarding one in a couple days.. flying tomorrow night.. dang thing better splash or crash before that.


257 posted on 09/23/2011 8:06:34 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Obama: Epic Fail or Bust!!!)
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To: 21twelve
They don’t call it URAS for nothing!

They don't call it "URAS" at all.

258 posted on 09/23/2011 8:07:48 PM PDT by xjcsa (Ridiculing the ridiculous since the day I was born.)
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To: Palladin
This is still a serious thing. And you go to bed? You have no feelings.

Think of the pain for others.

259 posted on 09/23/2011 8:08:43 PM PDT by AGreatPer (Obama has NEVER given a speech where he did not lie!!!)
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To: Greysard

Currently predicted re-entry location.

Re-entry location at 30.9 North, 141.1 West which puts it half way between Hawaii and California.


260 posted on 09/23/2011 8:09:00 PM PDT by Jack Hydrazine (It's the end of the world as we know it and I feel fine!)
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