The most recent prediction now says that the UARS satellite will come down tonight between 9 pm and 3 am Eastern time, during one of four orbits, all of which pass over North America, Europe, and Africa. One orbit also passes over Australia.
The crash time of the UARS climate satellite has now been updated to a window lasting from 6 pm (Eastern) to 4 am (Eastern) tonight.
According to the map at the link, the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Middle East are all potential crash sites.
Even if UARS misses you today, don’t relax! A second large satellite, the 2.4 ton ROSAT X-Ray space telescope, is going to rain debris down late in October or early November.
On its ROSAT website, DLR estimates that “up to 30 individual debris items with a total mass of up to 1.6 tonnes might reach the surface of the Earth. The X-ray optical system, with its mirrors and a mechanical support structure made of carbon-fibre reinforced composite – or at least a part of it – could be the heaviest single component to reach the ground.”
Coming home in a Soyuz capsule: “I could hear Andrey saying it was like an American amusement park.”
The forecast of when and where the climate satellite UARS will re-enter the atmosphere has been narrowed to the afternoon/evening of Friday, September 23.
The image to the right was taken by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, with the white arrow showing the Mars rover Opportunity perched on the rim of Endeavour Crater.
The rover’s scientists hope that the rocks found on the crater rim, dredged up from deep below when the crater impact occurred, will be the oldest rocks so far touched on the Martian surface, and thus give them a peek at ancient Martian geology.
Proposed changes in computer hardware specifications may make it impossible to run free operating systems such as Linux.
The extension of Microsoft’s OS monopoly to hardware would be a disaster, with increased lock-in, decreased consumer choice and lack of space to innovate.
The article also notes how these restrictions might violate European Union competition law.
Starting in December, all GM cars with OnStar will record all data for police and insurance, unless the owner opts out.
General Motors and the government: what a team!
Want to know where and when the six ton UARS satellite will hit the Earth this week? The Aerospace Corporation has it mapped!
An Air Force official suggested this week they would be willing to sacrifice the X-37 in budget negotiations.
China’s second moon orbiter Chang’e-2 sends data from a million miles away.
A labor strike today has canceled an Ariane 5 rocket launch.
