NASA's Falling Satellite Set to Hit Within Hours: Will it Land in US?
The falling NASA satellite speeding towards the Earth is expected to re-enter the atmosphere between 11:45 p.m. Friday and 12:45 a.m. Saturday ET, NASA has reported.
According to CNN, NASA has announced: "During that time period, the satellite will be passing over Canada, Africa and Australia, as well as vast areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The risk to public safety is very remote.”
Latest news is that the United States still is a potential location where the falling debris from the satellite may hit, however NASA has again said a U.S. landing is highly unlikely.
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It is believed that the satellite will break up into about 26 separate pieces that will survive the re-entry, with other parts of the satellite burning up during the process.
NASA believes that each piece of falling debris could be anywhere in the region of 10 pounds to 100’s of pounds.
NASA has also said, “There is a low probability any debris that survives re-entry will land in the United States, but the possibility cannot be discounted because of this changing rate of descent.”
Due the huge speeds the satellite is moving at, it is impossible to determine where the pieces of debris will land.
The Earth is covered by 70 percent water, and so chances are the debris will land within the ocean. In the unlikely event the debris does make landfall, it is again unlikely the pieces will actually hit anyone.
Despite those claims the Federal Aviation Administration have warned pilots about the falling satellite, calling it a potential hazard.
"It is critical that all pilots/flight crew members report any observed falling space debris to the appropriate (air traffic control) facility and include position, altitude, time and direction of debris observed," the FAA statement said.
