Sunday, September 25, 2011

6.5 ton NASA satellite to-crash lands, in Pacific

A 6.5 ton defunct satellite hurtling uncontrolled towards Earth  likely plunged into a remote section the Pacific Ocean off the western US coast, American space agency NASA said. Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) crossed over portions of Indian Ocean and Africa before splashing down sometime between 11:23 pm (local time) Friday and 1:09 am on Saturday, NASA officials said. NASA said all debris from the research satellite, the biggest piece of US space junk to fall uncontrolled in 32 years, appears to have dropped in a remote section of the Pacific Ocean well "away from the western-coast of the US," but the precise spot may never be pinpointed";Nick Johnson, chief scientist for orbital debris at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, told reporters the fiery trajectory of the 13,000-pound satellite ended as it crossed eastward over portions of the Indian Ocean and Africa for the final time.It then most likely disintegrated and scattered debris over a roughly 500-mile stretch across the northern portion of the Pacific.

No comments:

Competitiveness, climate, security Finn’s priorities Ministry of Finance release Finnish road map of EU presidency. Finland is set ...