spacetoday.net: UARS reentry site pinpointed

Posted: Wed, Sep 28, 2011, 9:28 AM ET (1328 GMT)
UARS illustration (NASA)

NASA announced Tuesday that it has pinpointed the location where a six-ton satellite reentered early Saturday. NASA, using data provided by the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, said the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) reentered at approximately 12 am EDT (0400 GMT) Saturday at 14.1 degrees south latitude and 170.2 degrees west longitude, with any debris falling 500 to 1,300 kilometers downrange to the northeast, over an area of open ocean away from major landmasses. Previously, NASA had given only a wide range of reentry times, with the likely reentry time several minutes later, when the spacecraft was approaching the west coast of North America. Reports that debris from UARS fell in Alberta have been confirmed to be a hoax.