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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: djf

321 posted on 09/23/2011 8:50:14 PM PDT by cmsgop ( The left always accuses the right for the sins of the left. from FReeper Just Lori, RIP)
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To: djf

clear sky here in nw wa...should I go out and look?


322 posted on 09/23/2011 8:50:41 PM PDT by freebird5850 (Of course Obama loves his country...it's just that Sarah Palin loves mine!)
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To: steve86

Numbers Im seeing seem to indicate it will fall in the Pacific about 1000 miles off the coast of California...


323 posted on 09/23/2011 8:51:15 PM PDT by djf (Buncha sheep: A flock.. Buncha cows: A herd.. Buncha fish: A school.. Buncha baboons: A Congress..)
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To: freebird5850

Not yet since it is passing SE Australia and NZ at the moment.


324 posted on 09/23/2011 8:51:49 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: cmsgop

Did he serve in the Vietnam War, perchance??? ;-)


325 posted on 09/23/2011 8:52:08 PM PDT by RushIsMyTeddyBear (Attaaaack Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatch!!!!! XD)
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To: freebird5850

mid coast Oregon here, but too foggy (and too far south) to see very far.


326 posted on 09/23/2011 8:52:19 PM PDT by didi
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To: djf

That’s what I think, too, although I’ll head outside just in case it gets a second wind.


327 posted on 09/23/2011 8:52:26 PM PDT by steve86 (Acerbic by nature, not nurture (Could be worst in 40 years))
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To: cmsgop

Lol!! The lava lamp!!


328 posted on 09/23/2011 8:52:26 PM PDT by djf (Buncha sheep: A flock.. Buncha cows: A herd.. Buncha fish: A school.. Buncha baboons: A Congress..)
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To: steve86

Any clue on possible places it might land? I’ve been busy all day and can only check FR/new every so often for a short while.

I’m in SW OR not too far from the coast. I don’t mind dying (continuing on my journey) but I’d rather not do it tonight getting crushed by a piece of space junk!


329 posted on 09/23/2011 8:52:56 PM PDT by little jeremiah (We will have to go through hell to get out of hell.)
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To: RushIsMyTeddyBear

Yeah, saved 10,00 lives and had a sh&tload of medals!!!!!!


330 posted on 09/23/2011 8:53:08 PM PDT by cmsgop ( The left always accuses the right for the sins of the left. from FReeper Just Lori, RIP)
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To: freebird5850

I doubt you will see anything, but can’t hurt!


331 posted on 09/23/2011 8:53:25 PM PDT by djf (Buncha sheep: A flock.. Buncha cows: A herd.. Buncha fish: A school.. Buncha baboons: A Congress..)
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To: The Cajun

It’s about 88 miles above the Earth right now. When it is down at the poles its orbit is a little higher and at the equator a bit lower.


332 posted on 09/23/2011 8:53:47 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: cmsgop

0345 GMT (11:45 p.m. EDT Fri.)
The likely re-entry window has opened. NASA predicts UARS will make its fiery plunge into the atmosphere within the next 60 minutes. The satellite is south of Australia at the current time, about to fly over the Pacific Ocean toward a crossing of Canada, then the Atlantic Ocean and Africa, if UARS remains in orbit that long.


333 posted on 09/23/2011 8:53:57 PM PDT by WSGilcrest (/s)
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To: djf

You knew that was gonna happen my friend...................:*)


334 posted on 09/23/2011 8:53:57 PM PDT by cmsgop ( The left always accuses the right for the sins of the left. from FReeper Just Lori, RIP)
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To: little jeremiah

0345 GMT (11:45 p.m. EDT Fri.)
The likely re-entry window has opened. NASA predicts UARS will make its fiery plunge into the atmosphere within the next 60 minutes. The satellite is south of Australia at the current time, about to fly over the Pacific Ocean toward a crossing of Canada, then the Atlantic Ocean and Africa, if UARS remains in orbit that long.


335 posted on 09/23/2011 8:53:57 PM PDT by Cementjungle
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To: Jack Hydrazine

thanks will monitor outside


336 posted on 09/23/2011 8:54:20 PM PDT by freebird5850 (Of course Obama loves his country...it's just that Sarah Palin loves mine!)
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To: little jeremiah
The strike zone skirts Washington state and they seem to have narrowed the time to tonight between 11:45 pm and 12:45 am tomorrow.

God bless all of you in case I am a victim. :-)

337 posted on 09/23/2011 8:54:29 PM PDT by MarMema (chains we can believe in)
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To: djf

From Twitter:

SpaceflightNow Spaceflight Now
by UARS_Reentry
Re-entry window has opened. NASA predicts UARS will make its fiery plunge into the atmosphere within next 60 minutes. tinyurl.com/3qqomnv


338 posted on 09/23/2011 8:54:30 PM PDT by FourPeas ("Maladjusted and wigging out is no way to go through life, son." -hg)
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To: steve86

Just saw the comment above about maybe 1000 miles off the coast of CA.

I hope it falls in the water. I wonder if there is a nuke stuff on it, quite a few have nukes on them.


339 posted on 09/23/2011 8:54:31 PM PDT by little jeremiah (We will have to go through hell to get out of hell.)
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To: djf

New Twitter feed, .2 hour

12 minutes....


340 posted on 09/23/2011 8:55:22 PM PDT by djf (Buncha sheep: A flock.. Buncha cows: A herd.. Buncha fish: A school.. Buncha baboons: A Congress..)
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