NASA Says Don't Worry About Falling Satellite

[Greg Tito]

NASA Says Don't Worry About Falling Satellite

A 6.5 ton satellite will plummet to Earth some time in the next few months but it is important not to panic.

It's an imperfect world. Satellites fall down all the time. Or at least that's what NASA wants you to believe as the American space agency downplays the imminent descent of UARS - Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite. The 35-foot-long, 13,000 pound satellite was launched by the space shuttle Discovery in 1991 to test the composition of gases in the atmosphere. NASA ended UARS' operations on Dec. 14, 2005 and the satellite has been idly wandering the heavens for nearly six years. The plummet to Earth was expected after UARS was placed in a degrading orbit, but NASA wasn't sure when it would actually fall - until today. The satellite will burn up and disintegrate when it enters the atmosphere, but NASA isn't able to predict exactly where on the globe it will touch down. But again, don't worry. There's never been a problem with objects falling from space before.

"The risk to public safety or property is extremely small, and safety is NASA's top priority. Since the beginning of the Space Age in the late-1950s, there have been no confirmed reports of an injury resulting from re-entering space objects. Nor is there a record of significant property damage resulting from a satellite re-entry," NASA stated today.

NASA also said that they will be monitoring the skies and will update the public when they have a better idea where it's going to hit. Not like it really matters, because a 6 ton satellite falling on your head isn't a problem or anything.

Also, NASA said if you do find a piece of metal or debris that just might be a part of the massive UARS satellite, you should under no circumstances touch the object. Call your local law enforcement precinct and an agent, er, friendly neighborhood police officer will come round to quarantine the area and impound your wife and pets.

But again, there's nothing to freak out about here. Everything will be fine.

Source: Space Coalition [http://spacecoalition.com/blog/nasa-satellite-to-reenter-public-to-be-updated]



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[ZeZZZZevy]

Well, it was nice knowing you all.

Also, telling people to not touch something from space is just going to encourage them to go looking for said debris.

Unless...this is all part of their master plan.

 

[JenSeven]

"There's never been a problem with objects falling from space before."

I can think of one. It killed the dinosaurs.

Granted it was not a satellite..

However the Barringer Crater was made by a meteor the size of a small car.

EDIT: wait.. wrong crater... don't remember which one it was, but not the Barringer Crater, that one was caused by a meteorite 50 meters across...

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Basically, just run.

 

[i am not god]

That's ridiculous, I'd SO touch something that fell from space. I'm sure everyone else would as well, I mean come on.

 

[Snotnarok]

I remember my parents telling me about something like this being announced when they were younger...the public response was to walk around with pots and such on their heads....ung.

 

[ciancon]

If it's going to fall on Ireland i'm gonna be pissed cos i've nowhere to run....

 

[Croaker42]

.... *shades* "Just swamp gas folks. Nothing to see here. Move along."

Also
*Poke* *Poke* *Poke*

 

[Nedoras]

I remember my parents telling me about something like this being announced when they were younger...the public response was to walk around with pots and such on their heads....ung.

Pots? But umbrellas are so much more practical. I mean, it works in cartoons after all right?
I think it's funny that they're over-emphasizing that nothing will go wrong and this is all completely safe, it's like they want to jinx themselves to the point where something bad will happen.

 

[Rawne1980]

"Bob, would you look at that hurtling towards us at an incredibly rapid rate of knots"

"It's okay Fred, NASA told us we have nothing to worry about"

"Right you are Bob, if NASA said we are safe then safe we are"

Splat.......

 

[Caliostro]

Nothing to worry about guys. It's just 6.5 ton piece of metal falling from the sky. That never hurt anyone.


Never you mind things like Project Thor [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_bombardment].

Yes, kinectic bombardment is essentially dropping things from space, like what's going to happen to this satellite.

Yes, they achieved the equivalent of tactical nuclear strikes with rods roughly the size of telephone poles which, if I remember correctly, weighted nowhere near 6 tons.

Yes, this kind of strike is nigh impossible to defend against since there's no guidance system to jam, it's just something falling, and you can't really intercept it since it's falling at roughly 9 km per second (for comparison a Barrett M82 .50 cal sniper rifle [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barret_50_cal] has a muzzle velocity of roughly 853 m per second).


...so I guess what they're saying is something like "don't worry about it, if it lands on you, you're just fucked".


Heads up.

 

[Dr.Fantastic]

I dont think my insurance covers this..

 

[razerdoh]

"But again, don't worry. There's never been a problem with objects falling from space before.

say that to the dinosaurs!

 

[crystalsnow]

Can't predict exactly where it will land? I call bullshit. This thing is on a set orbit, and the laws of physics are being applied constantly. *I* could figure out where it would land if given all the variables NASA knows, why the hell can't the top scientists in the country figure it out?

 

[Anarchemitis]

Less than 35% of Earth's surface is land.
Less than 2% of Earth's land surface is inhabited.
Less than 5% of Earth's inhabited surface area is urban.
Therefore it goes without much restatement that there is a low chance of a satellite hitting that 'target' 0.03% of the surface area.

Can't predict exactly where it will land? I call bullshit. This thing is on a set orbit, and the laws of physics are being applied constantly. *I* could figure out where it would land if given all the variables NASA knows, why the hell can't the top scientists in the country figure it out?

Maybe because they stopped caring about it after the program for which the satelite existed, went defunct- and then the only people paying it any mind were space junk tracking organizations, which then have to find it first and the predict its path.

 

[DaxStrife]

NASA really needs some kind of recycling program. They track where the satellites are after their "missions" are over, why couldn't a shuttle nab it on its way back so they could strip it for parts?

 

[Filiecs]

Pardon my ignorance, but wouldn't most of it burn up? Or is it not high enough for that to happen?

Personally, I don't really think there is much to worry about as NASA probably built it to fall apart upon descent.

 

[Xan Krieger]

If only it would "accidentally" fall on Kim Jong Il.

Then again odds are just as good that it would fall on Stephen Colbert.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

I blame the Batarians! Don't they know that satellite dumping is deemed a war crime by the interplanetary council? I propose a counter strike into the Terminus systems.

 

[Anarchemitis]

NASA really needs some kind of recycling program. They track where the satellites are after their "missions" are over, why couldn't a shuttle nab it on its way back so they could strip it for parts?

You underestimate how expensive every aspect of space travel is, and overestimate the danger space debris presents to the Earth's surface.