Six-ton satellite to fall to Earth
SEP 12, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025569
Science : The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite ( UARS), sent into orbit in 1991, will return to Earth by the end of September—in about 26 pieces. NASA calculated that the odds of UARS debris injuring a human are about 1 in 3200, which amounts to about a 1 in 22 trillion chance for any one individual. The agency took into account the shape and composition of the pieces UARS would break into, and whether each piece would get hot enough to burn up on reentry; for those pieces that don’t burn up, the agency calculated how far each piece could travel before impact. The total area of impact will be 22 square meters, or 236.80 square feet.
© 2011 American Institute of Physics
