UARS expected to reenter late this week
Posted: Tue, Sep 20, 2011, 8:51 AM ET (1251 GMT)
NASA is predicting that a 20-year-old satellite will reenter the Earth's atmosphere on Friday, posing a very small but non-zero risk to the public. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), launched by the space shuttle in 1991, is in a decaying orbit as atmospheric drag slows down the spacecraft and lowers its orbit at an accelerating rate. As of late Monday NASA predicted the spacecraft would reenter the atmosphere on Friday, give or take a day. The satellite's orbital inclination of 57 degrees means it passes over most populated regions of the Earth. NASA expects that 26 pieces of the satellite, with a combined mass of 532 kilograms, will survive reentry and reach the surface. NASA has estimated that there is a 1-in-3,200 chance that debris from the satellite would injure anyone, with the most likely outcome that the debris falls in the ocean.
NASA is predicting that a 20-year-old satellite will reenter the Earth's atmosphere on Friday, posing a very small but non-zero risk to the public. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), launched by the space shuttle in 1991, is in a decaying orbit as atmospheric drag slows down the spacecraft and lowers its orbit at an accelerating rate. As of late Monday NASA predicted the spacecraft would reenter the atmosphere on Friday, give or take a day. The satellite's orbital inclination of 57 degrees means it passes over most populated regions of the Earth. NASA expects that 26 pieces of the satellite, with a combined mass of 532 kilograms, will survive reentry and reach the surface. NASA has estimated that there is a 1-in-3,200 chance that debris from the satellite would injure anyone, with the most likely outcome that the debris falls in the ocean.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Monday, September 28
An endangered wild cat faces a new threat: SpaceX’s expansion in Texas
NBCNews.com — 4:43 am ET (0843 GMT) FAA Clears SpaceX For Starship 14 Flight
Aviation Week — 4:41 am ET (0841 GMT) SpaceX sends Starship into orbit
The Economist — 4:40 am ET (0840 GMT) SpaceX prepares to send Starship rocket to orbit for first time
CNBC — 4:40 am ET (0840 GMT) Orbital Shift: India's space sector undergoing biggest transformation
The Economic Times (India) — 4:38 am ET (0838 GMT) |
