Satellite to Fall in Biggest Space Crash Since ’79

[marmar]

(Bloomberg) A five-metric-ton dead research satellite will crash into Earth tomorrow, the largest such object to make an uncontrolled landing since 1979, NASA said.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the satellite, which has a 1-in-3,200 chance of injuring or killing a person on landing, won’t hit North America. It said it was too early to “predict the time and location of re-entry with any more certainty,” in a release today.

NASA expects 26 “potentially hazardous” objects from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite to survive, with a total weight of 532 kilograms (1,172 pounds), spread over an area 500 miles long (804 kilometers). The rest will be destroyed as the satellite passes through the atmosphere.

The risk of injury is “vanishingly small,” said Steve Cole, a spokesman for NASA. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-09-22/satellite-may-fall-to-earth-in-biggest-uncontrolled-space-crash-since-79.html

[applegrove]

1. I remember in '79 there was huge coverage of it. T-shirts were printed up.

We are much more relaxed these days.

[LiberalEsto]

3. Skylab

That's what it was called

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylab

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. Dead satellite crashes into NASA headquarters....

[Desertrose]

4. Perfect karma I would suppose....

hmmmm.....

[dixiegrrrrl]

5. Banks take out dead peasant insurance lottery on whoever does get hit.

[gratuitous]

6. Looks like we'll have to revive Oregon's contingency plan from 1979

As I recall, it was called "Oregon ducks."