German satellite to reenter later this month
Posted: Thu, Oct 13, 2011, 7:06 AM ET (1106 GMT)
A German astronomy satellite that has been in orbit for over 20 years will reenter later this month, posing an impact hazard slightly greater than another recent reentry. The ROSAT satellite, launched in 1990, is in a decaying orbit and expected to reenter some time between October 20 and 25. About 1.6 tons of debris will survive reentry and will land somewhere between 53 degrees north and south latitude, according to models of the spacecraft's reentry. The German space agency DLR estimates that the odds of ROSAT debris striking anyone is 1 in 2,000, slightly higher than the 1-in-3,200 odds from a NASA satellite, UARS, that reentered last month. UARS reentered over the Pacific Ocean far from land, with no reports of any damage or injury caused by its debris.
A German astronomy satellite that has been in orbit for over 20 years will reenter later this month, posing an impact hazard slightly greater than another recent reentry. The ROSAT satellite, launched in 1990, is in a decaying orbit and expected to reenter some time between October 20 and 25. About 1.6 tons of debris will survive reentry and will land somewhere between 53 degrees north and south latitude, according to models of the spacecraft's reentry. The German space agency DLR estimates that the odds of ROSAT debris striking anyone is 1 in 2,000, slightly higher than the 1-in-3,200 odds from a NASA satellite, UARS, that reentered last month. UARS reentered over the Pacific Ocean far from land, with no reports of any damage or injury caused by its debris.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Senate committee advances Isaacman nomination to lead NASA
Posted: Sun, May 4 10:23 AM ET (1423 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, May 4
Olivier Ricouart appointed Chief Technical Officer of Arianespace
Arianespace — 11:35 am ET (1535 GMT) Beyond Gravity: New high-power antenna for Europe’s forest satellite
Beyond Gravity — 11:33 am ET (1533 GMT) Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) Announces Key Milestone in Development of Aspera Space Astronomy Microsatellite Mission
Space Flight Laboratory — 11:32 am ET (1532 GMT) Moon RACER Activates Self-Driving Mode for Lunar Exploration
Intuitive Machines — 11:30 am ET (1530 GMT) Research Team Develops New Test to Verify Einstein's Theory of Gravity
ZARM — 11:30 am ET (1530 GMT) |
