A
12,500-pound NASA satellite the size of a school bus is falling to
Earth faster than expected. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or
UARS, is currently tumbling in orbit and succumbing to Earth’s gravity.
It will crash to the surface sometime between Thursday and Sunday. But
exactly where the UARS spacecraft will fall is still unknown. The debris
is expected to fall over a swath of Earth about 500 miles long. There
is a 1-in-3,200 chance of satellite debris hitting a person on the
ground, odds NASA says are extremely remote. NASA expects the satellite
to fall over a region somewhere between the latitudes of northern Canada
and southern South America; an ocean splashdown is likely. It’s the
biggest piece of NASA space junk to fall to Earth in more than 30 years
and should create a light show. The satellite will partially burn up
during reentry and, by NASA’s calculation, break into about 100 pieces,
creating fireballs that should be visible even in daytime. An estimated
26 of those pieces will survive the re-entry burn and will spray
themselves in a linear debris field 500 miles long. The largest chunk
should weigh about 300 pounds. NASA has advised the public not to touch
any debris that may reach the surface, should it be discovered. Instead,
the space agency says that anyone who finds debris should contact their
local law enforcement agency.
