Huge Defunct Satellite Falling to Earth Faster Than Expected

[ChandlerJr]

NASA space junk experts have refined the forecast for the anticipated death plunge of a giant satellite, with the U.S. space agency now predicting the 6 1/2-ton climate probe will plummet to Earth around Sept. 23, a day earlier than previously reported.

"Re-entry is expected Sept. 23, plus or minus a day. The re-entry of UARS is advancing because of a sharp increase in solar activity since the beginning of this week," NASA officials wrote in a status update today (Sept. 16). The projection is a day earlier than a previous forecast released by NASA yesterday.

NASA spokeswoman Beth Dickey confirmed with SPACE.com earlier today that the reason UARS is expected to fall early in its re-entry window is because of the sharp uptick in solar activity. Solar effects from the sun can create an extra drag on satellites in space because they can heat the Earth's atmosphere, causing it to expand, agency officials have said.

Fascinating how quickly solar activity can affect the atmosphere by warming it up and expanding it to that degree.

http://www.space.com/12982-dead-nasa-satellite-falling-earth-sept-24.html

[Davis_X_Machina]

1. F=MA. Those molecules..

....of gas are widely scattered that high up, but that satellite is really hauling, and the resulting impacts, each one of which taken individually is less than minute, taken collectively.....

DUCK!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. That is fascinating...

Does NASA have any idea where it'll land?

[ChandlerJr]

3. According to the article

pretty much Earth!

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. To quote them

anywhere north of Antartica and south of the North Pole.

Until it enters atmosphere they can't predict it. And then it will be 15 minute warning.

:hide:

[slackmaster]

5. "...somewhere between the latitudes of northern Canada and southern South America..."

:argh: