Space Litter To Hit Earth Tomorrow

A refrigerator-sized tank of toxic ammonia, tossed from the international space station last year, is expected to hit earth tomorrow afternoon or evening. The 1,400-pound object was deliberately jettisoned — by hand — from the ISS's robot arm in July 2007. Since the time of re-entry is uncertain, so is the location. "NASA expects up to 15 pieces of the tank to survive the searing hot temperatures of re-entry, ranging in size from about 1.4 ounces (40 grams) to nearly 40 pounds (17.5 kilograms). ... [T]he largest pieces could slam into the Earth's surface at about 100 mph (161 kph). ...'If anybody found a piece of anything on the ground Monday morning, I would hope they wouldn't get too close to it,' [a NASA spokesman] said."

Comments

Tracking the object to avoid danger?

[Snowblindeye]

From TFA:

NASA and the U.S. Space Surveillance Network are tracking the object [...] to make sure it does not endanger people on Earth.

I wonder how tracking it is going to help if it crashes thru someones ceiling at 100mph.

I know the chances are low, but still.

Re:"toxic ammonia"?

[Patchw0rk F0g]

I have heard of a person who said that it tasted like catpiss.

Again, I'll say it: How do they know what cat piss tastes like? O_o

Re:"toxic ammonia"?

[billcopc]

Good candy to have at work too. No one steals it, at least not after the first piece.

How can you call it candy if it tastes like shit ? If you're so concerned about people stealing your candy that you have to eat nasty stuff, maybe you should, I dunno, NOT bring candy to work :P (or beat the living snot out of your coworkers)