Scientists warn ANOTHER out-of-control three ton telescope is hurtling towards the Earth

The Mail Online ^ | 10th October 2011 | Allan Hall

[Baladas]

Earth has been told to brace for a possible satellite collision as an orbiting telescope weighing nearly three tons has spun out of control and is plummeting homewards. ROSAT, a German X-ray telescope built with British and American technology, has been orbiting the Earth since 1990 and has provided invaluable data on stars. But they lost contact with it in 1999.

It is now predicted to re-enter Earth's atmosphere at the end of this month.

[Baladas]

As if you didn't have enough to worry about already . . .

[editor-surveyor]

Large Hailstone!

[KoRn]

Why don’t they outfit these things with self destruct devices that would trigger if they go ‘x’ amount of time without getting a ‘ping’ from home? Seems like it would be easy enough.

[RinaseaofDs]

Problem with that plan is that it turns one hunk of really dangerous space junk into thousands of hunks of really dangerous space junk.

The Chinese blew a satellite up using a missile during a test a few years ago and really pissed the World off. The stupid part, of course, is that the Chinese were basically making it hard for other Chinese astronauts to safely go to space.

[G Larry]

If you recall the last one had 26 pieces surviving re-entry.
Re-entry is a pretty violent event, so if that's insufficient, then you'd likely require 26 shape charges, to destroy each separate piece.
Not likely they want that little added system tagging along for the duration of the mission.

[AngelesCrestHighway]

[cripplecreek]

Yep even really tiny things moving at high speeds are dangerous.

A few years back a 14,000mph flake of paint chipped a space shuttle windshield.

[kosciusko51]

Similar to the time someone thought that blowing up a beached whale was a good idea.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Aliens are immune to being blown up.

[Slings and Arrows]

[Jonty30]

Don’t worry.

If I see it coming towards you, I’ll take the hit.

[Cyman]

Harrison Ford is plummeting to earth????? Oh it’s ROSAT not Rozat Sabich.

[ProudFossil]

Don’t worry. If I see it coming towards you, I’ll take the hit.

Are you talking about the image/alien/Destructo in message #6? If so have at it.

[yup2394871293]

Well, one less bit of space junk.

[Young Werther]

Not Another!

DUCK!

[Revolting cat!]

But they lost contact with it in 1999.

Why, just as I told you, it's Bush's fault!

[Jeff Chandler]

I hate those telescopes.

[Jack Hydrazine]

“Problem with that plan is that it turns one hunk of really dangerous space junk into thousands of hunks of really dangerous space junk.”

A hunk a hunk of burnin’ love?

[Jack Hydrazine]

Are we going to have an excellent live thread following this thing to re-entry like we did with the last satellite?

What makes it even more fun is that there is only a 1 in 2000 chance of it hitting someone!

[Jonty30]

Baladas, in the first post, seemed a bit concerned that he was fated to die from a piece of satellite.