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3.5 Ton Satellite to Crash Back to Earth
DeadBugs writes "CNN is reporting that the NASA Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer could crash back to earth in a matter of days. It's estimated that up to 9 large pieces (4-100 lbs.) of the Satellite could survive re-entry. Unlike the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory that was guided in, this Satellite will be uncontrolled. The EUVE has only been up there since 1992.... I wonder when this sort of thing will start to be a more common event."
I am not an engineer but.....
I'll understand it if nasa puts up a 500 lb satalite, or even a 1 ton satalite that has such a short lifespan. But come on. at 3.5 tons they couldn't have fitted it with at least enough energy collecting equipment to keep the thing in orbit?
Sure the equipment was dated, and some it probably worn out, but whats the real harm of leaving it up there and using it for parts or salvage for future missons?
Is the feasibility of making/expanding/fixing a space station out of these defunct satalites so remote?
Granted using parts of old satalites to fix or augment current satalites or stations would require them to be designed as such from the beginning. Still I would think the idea isn't origonal, or too far fetched to acheive.
You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.
I find it somewhat disturbing that in the year 2002, after we've put men on other planets, taken photos of galaxies millions of light years away and split the atom, we cannot determine the path of a plummeting object.
CNN (and other sources including NASA) are reporting a 9 hour window on when it could fall. With all the scientific minds and all the great algorithms we have, we can't determine when something like this will happen? Or is it that unimportant to bother getting out the slide rule and doing some calculations? And then there's where. A 1000 mile path that nobody seems to have any clue where it might land. We can't figure out a simple trajectory?
Doesn't this disturb anyone that chunks of metal up to 100lbs is going to be dropping on our heads shortly? True, the chances of getting hit are probably a billion to one, but they say that about lightning as well. Well, it'll be a fun light show and we can always hope it lands in Redmond or somewhere insignifigant.
liB