Tuesday, September 20, 2011

RV Sized Satellite to Fall to Earth

A 5 ton satellite the size of a small bus is expected to crash to the earth on Friday September 23rd, 2011.  NASA scientists are not exactly sure when or where the satellite is supposed to make its re-entry, as it could do so plus or minus one day from its target date of September 23rd.  You can track the location of UARS at the heavens-above.com website where they have real-time tracking of the doomed satellite.

UARS was launched in 1991 and is 35 feet long and 15 feet in diameter.  The satellite was used to measure ozone and other chemical compounds found in the upper reaches of the atmosphere.  NASA expects that as many as 26 separate pieces of the satellite will survive the atmosphere re-entry. This could to vivid displays in the sky, even in the daytime as the satellite makes a fiery re-entry.

No comments: