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 ...
Where is the burn reentry point? 50 miles?
I wonder when it will start lighting up radar systems, and I don’t mean weather?
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.
Headed towards Spain and Africa.
Falling satellite slows down, Earth strike delayed
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(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
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I agree , we need to develop and use technology to avert a larger catastrophe
it is heading to osouth Greenland soon, then off to Europe
Nothing was visible from So. Cal.. My guess is that it turned to a crispy critter over the South Pacific.
Guess I can go to bed now.
It will probably land in the Sahara Desert.
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 :-)
They don’t call it URAS for nothing!
u
A re
R EALLY
S crewed
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!
About 76 miles I think.
At least you can shower now without a moose eating all the cheese.
Thanks.
Over the Atlantic now and headed for Spain.
Let me re-check that.
Think positive!
Then again, it could land on a cruise ship!
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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.
They don't call it "URAS" at all.
Think of the pain for others.
Currently predicted re-entry location.
Re-entry location at 30.9 North, 141.1 West which puts it half way between Hawaii and California.
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