This morning it is planned thatel satélite UARS (Upper Atmosphere Satellite), which NASA launched in 1991 to observe the upper layers of the atmosphere, make yourre-entry into the earth’s atmosphere, five years after finishing his scientific mission. The big question everyone is asking is: where will the artifact fall?
In principle, most of the satellite, which is the size of a bus and weighs 6.5 tons, will disintegrate when it comes into contact with the atmosphere. But some of its components will survive the explosion and fall to the firm ground, NASA warns. Specifically, it estimates thatat least 26 large pieces will survive high temperatures, which together will add up to just over 500 kilograms. Despite the warning, NASA insists that the risk to the population is extremely small. The probability that some of the debris from the research satellite will injure a person is one in 3,200, the agency estimates.
At the moment, it is only known that the space artifact will impact in latitudes between northern Canada and southern South America. It is likely to fall in the Indian Ocean, near Papua New Guinea. In any case, Chile, Mexico and Argentina are closely following the latest data from the space agency on their trajectory. NASA has asked citizens that, if they find a piece of UARS, do not touch it and notify the authorities.
To date, the largest artifact to crash onto Earth was the MIR space station, which fell in 2001 in a controlled manner over the Pacific Ocean.
