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UARS

Incoming!

NASA’s Free-Falling UARS is Down!

by Max Eddy | 11:08 am, September 24th

After days of waiting, NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite has finally plummeted back to Earth. Initially it seemed that the craft would complete its re-entry sometime on Friday, but new information indicated that the craft had re-orientated itself and begun to slow down. Early this morning, the space agency announced via their Twitter feed that the satellite had come down 11:23 PM and 1:09 AM today.

As with the time of re-entry, the exact location of the crash site is unknown. However, NASA believes that the craft touched down somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. That is, however, a pretty big target.

One of the biggest questions of this entire event has been where debris from the satellite may have fallen, if any came down at all. There are no reports of any space-junk finds this morning but NASA says in the unlikely event some survived the fall, it would have come down over Canada. Any Canadians in the audience with some smoldering metal debris they can’t explain?

(via @NASA, UARS Tracking)

Incoming!

UARS Satellite to Re-Enter Atmosphere Today, Probably Won’t Hit North America

by Max Eddy | 10:35 am, September 23rd

In their ongoing effort to keep the public informed about the 6.5 ton spacecraft falling to Earth today, NASA announced via their Twitter stream that the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) probably won’t be touching down in North America. Earlier today it was reported that the spacecraft would miss North America entirely, though NASA is now saying that a change in orientation and unexpected deceleration means that it’s still a possibility, albeit a slim one.

Where the spacecraft will touch down is still an open question, though NASA is tracking the vehicle and providing frequent updates. In a series of recent tweets, the space agency dispelled some of the concerns about the falling satellite. First off, they reiterated that the odds of being struck by a piece of debris are one in several trillion. Second, NASA stated that any debris that lands is unlikely to be on fire, as objects entering the atmosphere generally stop heating 20 miles up and cool for the rest of their fall. In fact, by the time debris reaches the ground, they could be moving as slow as 30 mph. NASA also asks that if you do find a chunk of space debris that you leave it be, and contact local authorities.

With those reassurances and useful science factoids now in place, we can all sit back and wait for the UARS to make its spectacular return to Earth — expected late tonight or early tomorrow.

Updated with new information from NASA at 11:00AM.

(via @NASA, UARS tracking)

Incoming!

NASA is Deorbiting a Satellite, but They Don’t Know Exactly Where or When It’s Coming Down

by Max Eddy | 12:07 pm, September 17th

NASA’s 6.5 ton, 35-foot long Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is beginning the process of making an uncontrolled re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere. Trouble is, the space agency isn’t sure exactly where or when the satellite is coming down, but they are sure that it won’t all burn up before it hits ground.

Now, to follow up that provocative lede, it’s important to note that NASA does have some very good guesses about what the spacecraft is going to do. They’re best guess is that it should begin re-entry on September 23, give or take a day, probably over the ocean. It’s important to note that no injury has ever been caused by orbital debris under NASA’s half-century watch, but the Universe Today quotes NASA orbital debris scientist Nick Johnson as giving it 1 in 3,200 odds that any one person in the world will get hit by debris. That sounds scary until you remember to multiply that figure by a total world population of 7 billion, pushing the odds safely into the astronomical territory.

Read on...
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