Here We Go Again!

Germany’s ROSAT (Roentgen Satellit) Satellite is expected to fall back to the earth at the end of October.  The odds of a fragment of the ROSAT hitting a person, upon making landfall, are worse than that of the UARS satellite: 1 in 2,000.  The UARS odds were 1 in 3,200.

The odds of being struck by a ROSAT because ROSAT was built with heat-resistant mirror structures; much of UARS burned up upon re-entry, meaning only 20-40% of UARS actually reached the Earth’s surface. 

Source:

http://www.inquisitr.com/146297/another-satellite-falling-to-earth-could-hit-someone/

Look Up, Look Down, All Around; Hey, Satellite!

A satellite orbiting in space is quickly making its decent to Earth this very moment.  The path Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) will be falling in is unclear at this point; however, scientists have determined it is unlikely it will land in North America.  Because 70% of the Earth’s surface is water, scientists believe it will likely land in water, or an unpopulated area.  

Most of the satellite’s aluminum structure is expected to burn up upon its descent.  26 pieces are expected to remain intact, ranging between 10 to hundreds of pounds.  The pieces also will not be falling at an intense rate of speed, such as that which it is capable of in orbit.  Erring on the side of caution, the FAA issued a warning to pilots about the falling debris, requesting a report of any falling debris sighted. 

Source:

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/22/us/nasa-satellite/index.html?iref=allsearch