ESA shares pics of dead satellite tumbling towards Earth; can it fall on someone’s head? All you need to know
Dead satellite pics
The European Space Agency (ESA) on Monday (Feb 19) released images of a dead satellite as it tumbles down to Earth in what could potentially be a fiery spectacle.
The dead satellite was part of ESA's scientific Earth-monitoring mission called ERS-2. It was launched on April 21, 1995, and after a 16-year career, it retired in 2011.
During the time it was active, the ERS-2 collected data on polar ice, changing land surfaces, sea-level rise, warming oceans and atmospheric chemistry. Additionally, the satellite was also pressed into service during natural disasters in remote regions.
The dead satellite weighs approximately 5,057 pounds (2,293.82 kg) and is expected to start disintegrating at about 50 miles (80.47 kilometres) above the ground. While most of it will burn up completely in the Earth's atmosphere, the ESA estimates that the "largest fragment of the satellite that could reach the ground is 115 pounds"or around 52 kg.
Check out the pictures of the "tumbling descent" here:
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These images were captured by cameras on board other satellites by Australian company HEO on behalf of the UK Space Agency.
When will the dead satellite crash onto Earth?
As per estimates by the ESA's Space Debris Office, the ERS-2 satellite will make its re-entry around 19:24 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time, earlier called Greenwich Mean Time or GMT) on Wednesday (Feb21).
However, it must be noted that the prediction is uncertain by +/- 9.91 hours. This unpredictability, as per the space agency, is primarily due to the "influence of unpredictable solar activity, which affects the density of Earth’s atmosphere and therefore the drag experienced by the satellite."
Can the dead satellite crash on someone?
The European Space Agency estimates put the probability of the dead satellite crashing on someone's head at one in a billion.
"The odds of a piece of satellite falling on someone’s head is estimated at one in a billion."
It says that given that approximately 71 per cent of the Earth's surface is covered with water, the odds are that "the satellite will make a big splash somewhere."
(With inputs from agencies)
