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Huge Tumbling Satellite Could Fall to Earth Over US Tonight or Saturday, NASA Says (UPDATED)
Space.com ^ | 9/23/11 | Tariq Malik

Posted on 09/23/2011 10:07:53 AM PDT by Evil Slayer

A huge, dead satellite tumbling to Earth is falling slower than expected, and may now plummet down somewhere over the United States tonight or early Saturday, despite forecasts that it would miss North America entirely, NASA officials now say.

The 6 1/2-ton Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) was expected to fall to Earth sometime this afternoon (Sept. 23), but changes in the school bus-size satellite's motion may push it to early Saturday, according to NASA's latest observations of the spacecraft.

"The satellite's orientation or configuration apparently has changed, and that is now slowing its descent," NASA officials wrote in a morning status update today. "There is a low probability any debris that survives re-entry will land in the United States, but the possibility cannot be discounted because of this changing rate of descent."

NASA expects about 26 large pieces of the UARS spacecraft to survive re-entry through Earth's atmosphere and reach the planet's surface. The biggest piece should weigh about 300 pounds. The spacecraft is the largest NASA satellite to fall from space uncontrolled since 1979.

(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Technical
KEYWORDS: deadsatellite; nasa; reentry; satellite; uars
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To: Evil Slayer

Good!!!

As long as it falls on top of the WH, Captiol building, UN, or Mecca, and hopefully all four.

Bring it on.


21 posted on 09/23/2011 10:28:59 AM PDT by GatĂșn(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)
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To: IM2MAD

“Where did you find the tracking?”

http://www.space.com/13018-falling-nasa-satellite-uars-complete-coverage.html


22 posted on 09/23/2011 10:30:54 AM PDT by READINABLUESTATE ((Most leftism can be traced to childhood birthday trauma))
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To: Jack Hydrazine

Not to mention the Feds come knocking on your door. It’s still government property..............


23 posted on 09/23/2011 10:33:14 AM PDT by Red Badger ("Treason doth never prosper.... What's the reason? Why if it prosper, none dare call it treason.")
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To: roaddog727

THAILAND?.............


24 posted on 09/23/2011 10:35:19 AM PDT by Red Badger ("Treason doth never prosper.... What's the reason? Why if it prosper, none dare call it treason.")
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To: USNBandit

Will there be ‘satellite chasers’ from the legal world? Watch out for lawsuits, NASA.


25 posted on 09/23/2011 10:35:23 AM PDT by ReneeLynn (Socialism is SO yesterday. Fascism, it's the new black. Mmm mmm mmm...)
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To: Night Hides Not

If it falls into my backyard, I’m sellin’ AND suin’.


26 posted on 09/23/2011 10:36:14 AM PDT by Scott from the Left Coast
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To: ReneeLynn

I wouldn’t mind if it hit my house, while I’m away. It’s in need of a remodeling............


27 posted on 09/23/2011 10:37:28 AM PDT by Red Badger ("Treason doth never prosper.... What's the reason? Why if it prosper, none dare call it treason.")
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To: Evil Slayer

"OH MY GOD....THEY KILLED KENNY!"

28 posted on 09/23/2011 10:37:35 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Red Badger
Not to mention the Feds come knocking on your door. It’s still government property......

Then they can go to Admiralty Court and pay the prize amount. Salvage is salvage.

/johnny

29 posted on 09/23/2011 10:37:46 AM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: ilovesarah2012

seems like a wonderful opportunity to test strategic defense missiles.


30 posted on 09/23/2011 10:44:28 AM PDT by BillGunn (Bill Gunn for Congress district one rep. Massachusetts)
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To: JRandomFreeper

How much is a 300 lbs chunk of it worth?


31 posted on 09/23/2011 10:47:55 AM PDT by Lurkina.n.Learnin (The democratic party is the greatest cargo cult in history.)
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To: Buckeye McFrog; Myrddin

“Odds of being hit by a piece of it 1 in 3200.”

Really high - as in bad.


32 posted on 09/23/2011 10:48:30 AM PDT by patton
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To: Evil Slayer

If it lands in my yard they will pay dearly to get it back.

Wonder if there are any precious metals on board?


33 posted on 09/23/2011 10:50:05 AM PDT by wolfcreek (Perry to Obama: Adios, MOFO!)
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To: Lurkina.n.Learnin

That would be the physics package - what to you think a nuclear bomb is worth?


34 posted on 09/23/2011 10:52:33 AM PDT by patton
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To: Evil Slayer
If it came down sooner, it would be blamed on the expansion of the atmosphere due to Global WarmingClimate Change™.
35 posted on 09/23/2011 10:55:08 AM PDT by mikey_hates_everything
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To: Buckeye McFrog
Odds of being hit by a piece of it 1 in 3200.
Seem kinda high to you?

That's actually odds of one person out of 6+ billion being hit. Odds of YOU getting hit are more like 1 in 20 trillion (after doing some rough math).

36 posted on 09/23/2011 10:57:17 AM PDT by 6ppc (It's torch and pitchfork time)
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To: Evil Slayer

Not that I’m looking to leave this earth yet, but if I had to pick some accidental way to go I guess having a satellite fall on my head would be a pretty cool way to get your ticket punched.

You get your 15 minutes of fame, it would be quick, your life insurance would definitely have to cover the triple indemnity clause for accidental death, and it would be fun to have that on your tombstone.

Oh, and your name will be mentioned about 1000 times a day by the MSM for the next 100 years whenever another one of them comes down.


37 posted on 09/23/2011 10:59:30 AM PDT by Abathar (Proudly posting without reading the article carefully since 2004)
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To: Evil Slayer
Looks like three passes for UARS over the United States this evening. Starting on the east coast at roughly 6:00pm PDT The orbits may degrade as the satellite gets closer to the atmosphere .






38 posted on 09/23/2011 11:06:40 AM PDT by WSGilcrest (/s)
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To: WSGilcrest

BTW screen caps from free Orbitron software available here —> http://www.stoff.pl/


39 posted on 09/23/2011 11:08:59 AM PDT by WSGilcrest (/s)
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To: Red Badger

Am I a bad person for wondering if this would be excluded as an act of God under my homeowner’s insurance? Our upstairs bathroom could really do with the upgrade....


40 posted on 09/23/2011 11:10:25 AM PDT by Eepsy
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