Awesome. The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), NASA’s defunct, 60 000 kg baby, will be re-entering Earth’s atmosphere sometime later this month or in early October, and NASA doesn’t really know when or where it’s going to happen. What they do know is that it’s going to leave a 800km-wide debris footprint, somewhere. Heads up.
They do try and comfort us a little – in a statement, NASA officials said:
“It is too early to say exactly when UARS will re-enter, and what geographic area may be affected, but NASA is watching the satellite closely and will keep you informed,”
It is pretty nice of them to let us know when their shrieking metal fireball plans on getting hurled back at the planet.
The UARS got launched back in 1991, decommissioned in 2005, and has been floating in space since then. Waiting.
[Source: Space]
