* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

UARS satellite re-entry

Blobrana · L

NASA said the satellite pierced through the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean, but the exact time and location were not known.
About two dozen pieces of the satellite were expected to survive the crash through the Earth's atmosphere.
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NASA's dead six-ton satellite fell to Earth early Saturday morning, starting its fiery death plunge somewhere over the vast Pacific Ocean.
Details were still sketchy, but the U.S. Air Force's Joint Space Operations Center and NASA say that the bus-sized satellite first penetrated Earth's atmosphere somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. That doesn't necessarily mean it all fell into the sea. NASA's calculations had predicted that the former climate research satellite would fall over a 500-mile swath.
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Date: Sep 24 10:35 2011

Chinese lanterns

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OfWgu5jk5g

Posted by Dalavera

Ed ~ This video does not show the re-entry. What it may show are glowing balloons, or Chinese lanterns.

(The entire landscape would have been lit up with a full moon, or brighter, incandescent glow)

Updated: added only a Youtube link (For future reference), as the video is not related to the UARS satellite.

Blobrana · L

The latest information from NASA indicates that the satellite re-entered over the Pacific Ocean.

Update:
The UARS satellite re-entered the Earths atmosphere on the 24th September, 2011 @ 04:16 GMT ± 50 minutes.

Expand (65kb, 854 x 558)

UARS
1 21701U 91063B   11267.10904230  .15227068  11945-4  11522-3 0  6420
2 21701 056.9313 262.1789 0003645 318.1436 041.9334 16.52554649109189

Inclination: 56.93°
Revolution Number: 10921
Predicted Location: 30.9°N, 218.9°E

Date: Sep 24 06:42 2011

In next few cycles NASA going to trouble

- at update #13 which is so funny: writen at Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:55:17 AM GMT and talk about "re-entry betwee 3:45 a.m. to 4:45 a.m. GMT". I think samebody at NASA push reply button.

- Next 3 cycle over USA if goes down they will be never clean from brand to "unable to predict"

Unable to predict precisely. Yes that is nature and not just couple of iron.

Blobrana · L

There are several social media reports alleging that the re-entry of NASA's UARS satellite was seen over Canada near Quebec.
These reports are unconfirmed.
Read more

Ed ~ Update: Not confirmed

Blobrana · L

UARS Satellite Groundtrack: Australia

Ed ~ This is beyond the estimated re-entry time

Blobrana · L

UARS Satellite Groundtrack: Antarctica

Ed ~ This would be about the limit of my predicted re-entry time.

Date: Sep 24 05:11 2011

The satellite to make ducks and drakes on top of atmosphere.

Its altitude oscillates with an amplitude of 10 km.

Currently, altitude oscillates between 127 and 137 km, the average still slowly decreasing.

Date: Sep 24 05:10 2011

From NASA:

Update #13

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:55:17 PM MDT

As of 10:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 23, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 85 miles by 90 miles (135 km by 140 km). Re-entry was expected between 11:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, and 12:45 a.m., Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time (3:45 a.m. to 4:45 a.m. GMT). During that time period, the satellite was passing over Canada and Africa, as well as vast areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The risk to public safety was very remote. NASA is working to confirm the re-entry location and time and will provide an update shortly.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html