NASA Satellite to Crash on Earth by End of September
A defunct satellite is on course to hit the Earth’s surface during the last week of September, according to NASA officials.
The 6 ½ ton satellite was decommissioned in 2005 and has been descending ever since. It was originally a climate probe called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).
It is expected to make its final plunge into Earth’s atmosphere by the end of the month, according to a statement made by NASA on Sept. 12.
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The organization’s original prediction for the collision of the satellite with Earth was for anytime between the end of September and early October.
Most of UARS should burn up during re-entry, but there is a chance that some parts may remain and land on the Earth, which could pose a threat to civilians.
NASA claims that there is only a 1 in 3,200 chance that a piece of UARS could affect or injure any civilians.
It predicts the pieces will fall into the ocean.
“Earth is big, the satellite is small; the chance of it hitting a person is very, very small,” said Victoria Samson of the Secure World Foundation to Space.com. “While the idea of something coming at you from outer space is unnerving, there are a lot more realistic threats we should be concerned about. The actual impact to any person is fairly minimal.”
Many catalysts factor in to the timing of UARS plunge to earth including solar weather, the Earth’s gravitational field and the orientation of the satellite which makes it impossible for NASA to predict the exact time it will happen.
The news first hit last week when NASA reported the descending satellite, and since then, experts have been able to confirm its present orbit.
The satellite is about the size of a bus.
It is 35 feet long and about 15 feet wide.
Analysts are predicting that pieces of UARS will scatter within an area of 500 miles when it collides with the Earth.
