It's About Liberty: A Conservative Forum
Topics => Science, Technology, & Medicine => Topic started by: Libertas on September 23, 2011, 09:35:52 AM
-
Will we at least get a 15 minute warning before it plunges to earth?
::whatgives::
http://www.space.com/13018-falling-nasa-satellite-uars-complete-coverage.html (http://www.space.com/13018-falling-nasa-satellite-uars-complete-coverage.html)
Here's hoping the universe has a surprise in store for Duh Wun!
;D
-
Will we at least get a 15 minute warning before it plunges to earth?
Heads Up!!!!
-
Looks like that orbit goes over the Bushehr reactor. ::USA::
-
Latest update from NASA:
As of 7 p.m. EDT on Sept. 23, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 90 miles by 95 miles (145 km by 150 km). Re-entry is expected between 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, and 3 a.m., Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time (3 a.m. to 7 a.m. GMT). During that time period, the satellite will be passing over Canada, Africa and Australia, as well as vast areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The risk to public safety is very remote.
There are several real-time trackers online. The best I've seen is at Fox News. (http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/09/21/exclusive-track-nasas-falling-65-ton-satellite-in-real-time/)
I hope somebody is liveblogging it, but I don't know of anyone.
-
Let's hope it:
a) falls harmlessly in the ocean
b) falls harmlessly in a remote unpopulated area
c) falls in a populated area but harms no one and makes for a good news cycle
d) falls to earth bearing a new virus that transforms Leftists into decent human beings
e) falls on Obama's head
-
I've been hoping for "falls on DC" but I see you've got that covered in e).
-
I see that it just passed over the midwestern/northeastern US, and in now over Canada and headed out over the Atlantic. If it does come down in the next few hours, that was probably the last chance for it to hit near me.
ETA: It's cloudy and rainy here, so I wouldn't be able to see it anyway.
-
Here's a UStream tracker. There's an annoying commercial at first, but then it gets down to business.
UARS NASA SATELLITE 3D Tracking (http://www.ustream.tv/channel/theweatherspace-news#)
-
Thanks, that Fox thing timed out my puter.
-
Looks like that orbit goes over the Bushehr reactor. ::USA::
Wouldn't that be a very nice gift from allah?
I read in another spot somebody asking, "So NASA wants us to believe they can predict the temp of the entire planet fifty years from now, to the tenth of a degree, but they can't figger' this out?"
-
NASA sez:
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 is 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 will be passing over Canada and Africa, as well as vast areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The risk to public safety is very remote.
-
It sounds like the satellite re-entered over Canada.
From NSF.com:
"Confirmed debris falling over okotoks, Alberta. Canada."
http://twitter.com/# (http://twitter.com/#)!/SpaceTrails
Okotoks is south of Calgary, very close to the orbital track that passed there at 0420 UTC, 1020 MDT local.
Somebody got a screenshot of the local weather radar:
(http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=26719.0;attach=329317;image)
-
It now appears that the reports of debris in Canada were in error. Apparently the satellite came down in the northern Pacific, but anyone who knows for certain isn't saying.
From NSF.com. (http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=26719.255) See the discussion from pages 18-21 of the comments.
-
A question I have, is how do they know that the thing wasn't disintegrating and busting up for a long enough time upon re-entry that it was indeed spotted in Canada? They're saying the remains cover a 500 mile area in the South Pacific. Maybe parts broke off before that? Idunno. I have no knowledge whatsoever about such things. But it seems to me that reentry into the atmosphere would create stress and pressure on any physical object on a sliding scale, from zero upward with each moment, and thus it seems that there would be a fairly long period of minuscule stress gradually increasing until a piece here and a piece there began breaking off. If that breakup process can happen over a 500 mile span, why not a longer one?
NASA: Satellite fell in south Pacific, not Canada (http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-satellite-fell-south-pacific-not-canada-201709293.html)
That dead NASA satellite fell into what might be the ideal spot — part of the southern Pacific Ocean about as far from large land masses as you can get, U.S. space officials said Tuesday.
New U.S. Air Force calculations put the 6-ton satellite's death plunge early Saturday thousands of miles from northwestern North America, where there were reports of sightings. Instead, it plunged into areas where remote islands dot a vast ocean.
NASA says those new calculations show the 20-year-old satellite entered Earth's atmosphere generally above American Samoa. But falling debris as it broke apart didn't start hitting the water for another 300 miles to the northeast, southwest of Christmas Island, just after midnight EDT Saturday.
Experts believe about two dozen metal pieces from the bus-sized satellite fell over a 500-mile span.
<snip>
On Saturday, scientists said it was possible some pieces could have reached northwestern Canada and claims of sightings in Canada spread on the Internet. But NASA said Tuesday that new calculations show it landed several minutes earlier than they thought, changing the debris field to an entirely different hemisphere...
More linked at the AP...
-
IMHO they know exactly where the parts fell.
-
So, you got my "come on, man?!" admonishment!
::thumbsup::
-
Dripping water eventually penetrates the rock.
-
::rolllaughing::