Duck! Look out for space junk (photos)

by Chris Jablonski | September 22, 2011 1:59pm PDT | Image 1 of 10

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After two decades in orbit, a 6.5-ton U.S. science satellite will plummet to the earth
on Friday evening, Sep. 23 or early Saturday, Sept. 24. NASA officials estimate 1,200 pounds of debris will survive the atmospheric re-entry, but are unsure where the plunging debris will
precisely hit. The latest projections show that North America is not in the line of fire.

Before relegated to space junk, the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)
collected data about the earth's atmosphere soon after astronauts aboard shuttle
Discovery deployed it in September 1991. The $750 million was decommissioned in
late 2005 and allowed to enter a phase known as orbital decay.

Falling orbital debris poses little threat to people and property on earth. In fact,
not many will witness the firework display that UARS will create as it falls back to
earth and the chances of anyone in the world getting hit by a piece of it is 1 in 3,200.
According to NASA, over the past 40 years an average of one cataloged piece of
debris fell back to Earth each day.

The real danger, however, is in space. Researchers have warned that space junk
floating around the Earth poses more of a threat than ever to spacecraft in orbit.

On the following pages are ten factoids about space junk that every stargazer, amateur astronomer,
or armchair satellite tracker should know:

It’s not just whole, abandoned satellites that constitute space junk. The term also
encompasses pieces of broken satellites, deployed rocket bodies, human waste,
tiny flecks of paint released by thermal stress or small particle impacts and other
random human-made objects. For instance, the glove lost by astronaut Ed White
during his historic 1965 spacewalk.

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jywhy888 7th Mar

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RE: Duck! Look out for space junk (photos)

ipadsucks 23rd Sep

I hope it falls on Apple headquarters! and destroys all iphones :)-

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RE: Duck! Look out for space junk (photos)

fatman65536 23rd Sep

@ipadsucks

Actually, as a rabid AMBer (Always Bash Micro$oft), I would be absolutely thrilled if a large piece of space debris would crash into the M$ HQ, right through Ballmer's window.

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RE: Duck! Look out for space junk (photos)

rocpete 23rd Sep

@ipadsucks um why do you hate iphones, just curious?

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RE: Duck! Look out for space junk (photos)

MadYank 23rd Sep

Sure am glad that both ipadsucks and fatman65536 are talking with their tongues firmly in their cheeks.
Because a hit from something like the UARS satellite coming back would ruin a LOT more than just a couple of iphones or Steve Ballmer's window (or Windows).
And I don't care HOW much you guys hate Apple or Microsoft - I don't think you guys are into homicide.

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RE: Duck! Look out for space junk (photos)

Aerowind Updated - 23rd Sep

@MadYank Except by the time it actually gets down to earth, it'll be at most, a 300 pound chunk of metal. Everything else burns up in the atmosphere. Unless it hits you directly while you're standing outside, it won't affect anything.

There's a reason atmospheric reentry is the one of the most dangerous parts of a space mission.