aeromed202
October 17th, 2011, 10:05
A defunct German satellite is expected to plunge to Earth this week, but exactly when and where the satellite will fall remains a mystery.
The massive German Roentgen Satellite (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Alq8fCt4OHFzXR4bjfNewHcbANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTFqMDg xZXM0BG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIEJvZHkEcG9zAzEEc2VjA01lZGlhQ XJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFibnZiMGE1BHBzdGFpZAMxNjdkOGY1Ny04NTQy LTM1ZmMtOWIwNi0zMDViZTI5MDg2MTg-;_ylv=0/SIG=12tpaes26/EXP=1320084193/**http%3A//www.space.com/13261-german-satellite-falling-earth-rosat-risk.html), or ROSAT, is expected to plummet to Earth on Saturday or Sunday (Oct. 22 or 23), though German space officials have also offered a wider re-entry window of between Oct. 21 and Oct. 25. This latest falling satellite comes about a month after a dead NASA climate satellite, called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), plunged into the Pacific Ocean in late September.
The 2.4-metric ton X-ray space observatory is expected to break up as it travels through Earth's atmosphere, but some large pieces will likely make it through the intense heat of re-entry. According to German aerospace officials, approximately 1.7 metric tons of satellite debris (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AsasyIWnTFNrNKNBUNV55bkbANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTFqaWd 2Ymg3BG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIEJvZHkEcG9zAzIEc2VjA01lZGlhQ XJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFibnZiMGE1BHBzdGFpZAMxNjdkOGY1Ny04NTQy LTM1ZmMtOWIwNi0zMDViZTI5MDg2MTg-;_ylv=0/SIG=12quffet2/EXP=1320084193/**http%3A//www.space.com/13111-falling-satellite-rosat-november-crash.html), consisting primarily of up to 30 large glass and ceramic fragments, could survive the journey through the atmosphere and reach the Earth's surface.
Oy vey...
The massive German Roentgen Satellite (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Alq8fCt4OHFzXR4bjfNewHcbANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTFqMDg xZXM0BG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIEJvZHkEcG9zAzEEc2VjA01lZGlhQ XJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFibnZiMGE1BHBzdGFpZAMxNjdkOGY1Ny04NTQy LTM1ZmMtOWIwNi0zMDViZTI5MDg2MTg-;_ylv=0/SIG=12tpaes26/EXP=1320084193/**http%3A//www.space.com/13261-german-satellite-falling-earth-rosat-risk.html), or ROSAT, is expected to plummet to Earth on Saturday or Sunday (Oct. 22 or 23), though German space officials have also offered a wider re-entry window of between Oct. 21 and Oct. 25. This latest falling satellite comes about a month after a dead NASA climate satellite, called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), plunged into the Pacific Ocean in late September.
The 2.4-metric ton X-ray space observatory is expected to break up as it travels through Earth's atmosphere, but some large pieces will likely make it through the intense heat of re-entry. According to German aerospace officials, approximately 1.7 metric tons of satellite debris (http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=AsasyIWnTFNrNKNBUNV55bkbANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTFqaWd 2Ymg3BG1pdANBcnRpY2xlIEJvZHkEcG9zAzIEc2VjA01lZGlhQ XJ0aWNsZUJvZHlBc3NlbWJseQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFibnZiMGE1BHBzdGFpZAMxNjdkOGY1Ny04NTQy LTM1ZmMtOWIwNi0zMDViZTI5MDg2MTg-;_ylv=0/SIG=12quffet2/EXP=1320084193/**http%3A//www.space.com/13111-falling-satellite-rosat-november-crash.html), consisting primarily of up to 30 large glass and ceramic fragments, could survive the journey through the atmosphere and reach the Earth's surface.
Oy vey...