Satellite falling: Scientists are unsure where satellite debris will land, A satellite falling to Earth in the coming days is expected to drop a substantial amount of debris. The falling satellite could potentially produce a startling 250 kilos of scrap.
As reported by the NY Times on Nov. 6, the GOCE satellite ( Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) will fall to the earth's surface this week. The most likely day of the fall is Friday, Rune Floberghagen, GOCE mission manager, said in a telephone interview. The exact location has not been determined as of yet.
Computer simulations have been made to predict what will happen during the satellite's falling. According to simulations, most of the satellite will disintegrate in the atmosphere like a shooting star and approximately 25 to 45 remaining fragments will fall to Earth.
These remains will be scattered along a narrow strip of about 90 kilometers in length. "The largest fragment can weigh about 90 kilos, but this prediction has a large margin of uncertainty" reports Floberghagen.
ESA (European Space Agency) noted in a statement that, "Taking into account that two-thirds of Earth are covered by oceans and vast areas are thinly populated, the danger to life or property is very low."
The satellite is falling because it ran out of fuel on Oct. 21, which left it without a way to maintain its orbit.
Since its launch into orbit in 2009, GOCE has mapped the Earth's gravity field with unprecedented accuracy. Designed to stay only 20 months in orbit, GOCE (pronounced GO-chay) has lasted over three years and has met all of its scientific goals. For ESA, the mission was a complete success. Their results will be useful to understand the Earth's geology and ocean dynamics, says the agency. The agency also stated that the satellite falling back to Earth is not the result of a fault or an error, it was foreseen in the design of the satellite.
As reported by the NY Times on Nov. 6, the GOCE satellite ( Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer) will fall to the earth's surface this week. The most likely day of the fall is Friday, Rune Floberghagen, GOCE mission manager, said in a telephone interview. The exact location has not been determined as of yet.
Computer simulations have been made to predict what will happen during the satellite's falling. According to simulations, most of the satellite will disintegrate in the atmosphere like a shooting star and approximately 25 to 45 remaining fragments will fall to Earth.
These remains will be scattered along a narrow strip of about 90 kilometers in length. "The largest fragment can weigh about 90 kilos, but this prediction has a large margin of uncertainty" reports Floberghagen.
ESA (European Space Agency) noted in a statement that, "Taking into account that two-thirds of Earth are covered by oceans and vast areas are thinly populated, the danger to life or property is very low."
The satellite is falling because it ran out of fuel on Oct. 21, which left it without a way to maintain its orbit.
Since its launch into orbit in 2009, GOCE has mapped the Earth's gravity field with unprecedented accuracy. Designed to stay only 20 months in orbit, GOCE (pronounced GO-chay) has lasted over three years and has met all of its scientific goals. For ESA, the mission was a complete success. Their results will be useful to understand the Earth's geology and ocean dynamics, says the agency. The agency also stated that the satellite falling back to Earth is not the result of a fault or an error, it was foreseen in the design of the satellite.
