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| http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/584115main_UARS_2_946-710.jpg |
Today a NASA satellite the size of a bus will return to earth in a fireball. According to an article from the AFP NASA does not know where the satellite will crash. The six ton satellite is expected to break into 26 large pieces and many smaller ones. This is the largest re-entry of space debris in thirty years.
The article stated that NASA suggested the odds of a person being struck by a piece of the satellite was 1 in 3200. However, today NASA sent an update on twitter. They reportedly tweeted, "The chances that you (yes, I mean YOU) will be hit by a piece of the UARS satellite today are one in several trillion." These two different probabilities of being struck are drastically different.
The 1 in 3200 odds of being struck was mocked by a number of news commentators and comedians as being alarming. Their fears and and the fears of others seem to be slightly justified as the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 3000. Whatever the odds are, if a piece of the UARS lands by you NASA has asked that you contact them.
For more information on the UARS Re-Entry watch the following video!
Follow this link to the NASA Re-Entry and Risk Assessment PDF
Hi Martin,
ReplyDeleteYou are off to a great start … NASA as part of the government allows its images to be used. … Also, everyone can relate to space … And good use of YouTube.
- Chris
Here's a link to a page that explains why Martin can use that photo … http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/features/MP_Photo_Guidelines.html … You should look for similar policies as you aggregate stories …
ReplyDelete