Falling German Satellite Could Hit Earth Any Day Now

[DeSwiss]

Run time: 00:29 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ7w1kLFdCI   Posted on YouTube: October 09, 2011 By YouTube Member: MOXNEWSd0tCOM Views on YouTube: 1454   Posted on DU: October 11, 2011 By DU Member: DeSwiss Views on DU: 665

 
October 08, 2011 CBC News
http://MOXNews.com

Another dead satellite to fall in November

By Denise Chow

updated 9/29/2011 8:59:10 PM ET

A defunct NASA satellite that fell to Earth last week sparked some worldwide buzz, but it's not the only spacecraft falling out of space. The decommissioned German X-ray space observatory, called the Roentgen Satellite or ROSAT, will tumble to Earth sometime in early November, but it's still too early to pinpoint exactly when and where debris from the satellite will land, according to officials at the German Aerospace Center.

The 2.4-ton spacecraft's orbit extends from the latitudes of 53 degrees north and south, which means the satellite could fall anywhere over a huge swath of the planet — stretching from Canada to South America, German Aerospace officials said. ( http://www.space.com/13049-6-biggest-spacecraft-falls-space.html">6 Biggest Uncontrolled Spacecraft Falls From Space )

The latest estimates suggest that up to 30 large pieces of the satellite could survive the intense and scorching journey through Earth's atmosphere. In all, about 1.6 tons of the satellite components could reach the surface of the Earth, according to German Aerospace officials. The re-entry will be similar to NASA's 6-ton http://www.space.com/13018-falling-nasa-satellite-uars-complete-coverage.html">Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), which plunged into the southern Pacific Ocean last Saturday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44710567/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/another-dead-satellite-fall-november/#.TpOVe2G1-uI">MORE