Don't worry, it's only a falling five-tonne space satellite

[CHIMO]

Nasa says one of its dead satellites will soon fall to Earth but there is very little chance that it will hit anyone.

The space agency does not know when or where its 20-year-old satellite will drop. It will probably be in late September but could fall in October. And it could land anywhere south of Juneau, Alaska, and north of the tip of South America. Nasa says there is only a one in 3,200 chance of satellite parts hitting someone.

Experts say not to worry. In the more than 50 years of the space age, no one has ever been hurt by falling space debris. The 5.4-tonne satellite was used to monitor the atmosphere. Most of it will burn up during re-entry. Only about 550kg of metal should survive.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/08/falling-satellite-nasa-space-earth

Better odds than a lottery!

[phantom power]

1. gee, thanks for the controlled reentry guys

:eyes:

[caraher]

2. I wish they'd identify the satellite

I'd like to know what it was used for in more detail than the one casual line...

[Wilms]

3. It's the "Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite"

:D

UARS measures ozone and chemical compounds found in the ozone layer which affect ozone chemistry and processes. UARS also measures winds and temperatures in the stratosphere as well as the energy input from the Sun. Together, these help define the role of the upper atmosphere in climate and climate variability.

http://umpgal.gsfc.nasa.gov/

[Canuckistanian]

4. Oh, the UARS

I used to see that when I tracked satellites. It wasn't a very bright one, as I remember

[DetlefK]

5. "In the more than 50 years of the space age, no one has ever been hurt by falling space debris."

Well, it's about time then.