* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

UARS satellite re-entry

Blobrana · L

Six ton UARS satellite to hit surface of the earth

Blobrana · L

For UK observers the next sighting opportunity will be between 20:22 to 20:25 GMT on the 19th September.

Ed ~ Updated

-- Edited by Blobrana on Monday 19th of September 2011 09:36:36 AM

Blobrana · L

Re-entry and Risk Assessment for the NASA Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS)

NASA Orbital Debris Program Office
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Centre

Read more ( PDF)

Blobrana · L

The satellite should be visible from the UK from about 3:26 to 3:34 GMT, 18th September, 2011.

Blobrana · L

NASA Says UARS Satellite Will Fall Around Sept 23

NASA scientists on Saturday said that UARS is expected to plunge back to the Earth around Sept. 23, breaking into pieces.
The chances for the 6.5-ton bus-size satellite to hurt someone anywhere on the planet are 1 in 3,200, according to NASA.
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From NASA UARS Update #3
As of Sept. 16, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 140 mi by 155 mi (225 km by 250 km). Re-entry is expected Sept. 23, plus or minus a day. The re-entry of UARS is advancing because of a sharp increase in solar activity since the beginning of this week.
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This animation shows the orbit that the doomed satellite is on and the corresponding 2-D ground track. It illustrates where on Earth debris could fall - which is practically all inhabited areas - when it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.

Blobrana · L

Update:
The UARS satellite is predicted to re-enter the Earths atmosphere on the 24th September, 2011 @ 01:59 GMT ± 144 hours.

Expand (27kb, 857 x 564)

UARS
1 21701U 91063B   11260.59435732  .00921321  10955-4  64264-3 0  5902
2 21701 056.9488 293.9334 0017921 012.2946 347.8568 16.15382918108127

Period:       89.21 minutes
Inclination: 56.95°
Apogee:     248 km
Perigee:     223 km
Revolution Number: 10918
Predicted Location: 2°S, 52.2°E

Blobrana · L

Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite re-entry

Blobrana · L

RE: UARS satellite re-entry

Blobrana · L

NASA says one of its dead satellites will soon fall to Earth but there's very little chance that it will hit someone.
Most of it will burn up during re-entry. Only about 550 kilograms of metal should survive.
Adapted from Source