ROSAT reentry expected this weekend
Posted: Sat, Oct 22, 2011, 3:52 PM ET (1952 GMT)
A German astronomy satellite is on track to reenter the Earth's atmosphere some time this weekend, with over a ton of debris expected to reach the surface. ROSAT, launched in 1990, is now predicted to reenter at approximately 7:12 am EDT (1112 GMT) Sunday, with a margin of error of plus or minus 10 hours. 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 is on track to reenter the Earth's atmosphere some time this weekend, with over a ton of debris expected to reach the surface. ROSAT, launched in 1990, is now predicted to reenter at approximately 7:12 am EDT (1112 GMT) Sunday, with a margin of error of plus or minus 10 hours. 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
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Friday, July 24
ESA Awards ispace-EUROPE Contract for Execution of MAGPIE, ESA’s First Lunar Rover
ispace — 6:46 am ET (1046 GMT) AFLCMC Partners with Space Systems Command to Award Next-Gen MAVRC GPS Receiver Agreements
US Space Force — 6:44 am ET (1044 GMT) NNSA Delivers Next-Generation Global Burst Detector for Space Force GPS Satellite
US Department of Energy — 6:42 am ET (1042 GMT) Google Discloses $94.1 Billion in SpaceX Stock, Marking 6% Stake
Wall Street Journal — 6:39 am ET (1039 GMT) SpaceX Is Turning Away Falcon Customers in Major Bet on Starship
Bloomberg News — 6:37 am ET (1037 GMT) |
