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
|
|
SpaceX performs two Falcon 9 launches less than an hour apart
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:57 AM ET (1457 GMT) Virgin Galactic delays resumption of commercial flights to 2027
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:54 AM ET (1454 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, August 19
First spacewalk completed for Sophie Adenot
ESA — 6:43 am ET (1043 GMT) Satellite images show damage after a Ukrainian missile strike on a space center supporting Russia's Starlink rival
Business Insider — 6:42 am ET (1042 GMT) Space Force Selects Rocket Lab For Space Data Network Consortium, Awarded $12M in Contracts to Support Global Military Communications Network
Rocket Lab — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) USSF to Operate Legacy Weather Sats Until at Least 2028 as It Works on Replacements
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) AFA Urges Congress to Fully Fund Space Force, Ramp Up F-35 Procurement
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) |
