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
|
|
Thursday, March 23
Startup’s 3D-printed rocket delivers stunning night launch but fails to reach orbit
CNN — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT) Relativity Space's launch marked a milestone for 3D-printed rockets, even if it failed to reach orbit
Quartz — 7:21 am ET (1121 GMT) Relativity’s first 3D-printed rocket launches successfully but fails to reach orbit
CNBC — 7:20 am ET (1120 GMT) Relativity Space's first launch fails to reach orbit, but proves its 3D-printing rocket tech works
TechCrunch — 7:20 am ET (1120 GMT) Virgin Orbit to Resume Operations as Funding Search Continues
Wall Street Journal — 7:18 am ET (1118 GMT) |
