Huge Tumbling Satellite Could Fall to Earth Over US Tonight or Saturday, NASA Says (UPDATED)

Space.com ^ | 9/23/11 | Tariq Malik

[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.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Don’t think so, yet. Not as far as I can see. :-)

[steve86]

Looks close to Hawaii now.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Altitude is 79.4 miles above the Earth.

[Califreak]

[txhurl]

So Canada gets it?

[steve86]

Cleaning the lenses on my 20X binocs in case the stubborn thing makes it inland.

[sissyjane]

Over Hawaii, and over Seattle are totally different. It’s not on TV, so I’m depending on FB!

[eyedigress]

Ha! LOL!

[patton]

Antici ................. pation.

[steve86]

I jumped the gun on Hawaii; it is right at the equator now.

[RandallFlagg]

So....
I take it that THIS is the live thread?

In that case...



Sorry for that last ping, folks. It seemed to kill that earlier thread.

[Paradox]

Looks like Re-entry has finally begun.

[Raycpa]

Now to 1 hour from now.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Yeppers, it is live.

[Empireoftheatom48]

Where are u seeing this?

[Jack Hydrazine]

If it is still there it’s just passing to the south and east of Hawaii.

[RaceBannon]

passing Hawaii now, almost past

[Jack Hydrazine]

Altitude is 78.8 miles above the Earth.

[djf]

Once it starts, it will only take a minute or so. It may already be down.

[RaceBannon]

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/uars/status.html