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8.5-Ton Chinese Space Station Will Crash To Earth In a Few Months (cnbc.com)

dryriver writes: China launched a space laboratory named Tiangong 1 into orbit in 2011. The space laboratory was supposed to become a symbol of China's ambitious bid to become a space superpower. After two years in space, Tiangong 1 started experiencing technical failure. Last year Chinese officials confirmed that the space laboratory had to be scrapped. The 8.5 ton heavy space laboratory has begun its descent towards Earth and is expected to crash back to Earth within the next few months.

Most of the laboratory is expected to burn up in earth's atmosphere, but experts believe that pieces as heavy as 100 kilograms (220 pounds) may survive re-entry and impact earth's surface. Nobody will be able to predict with any precision where those chunks of space laboratory will land on Earth until a few hours before re-entry occurs. The chance that anyone would be harmed by Tiangong-1's debris is considered unlikely.


When NASA's SkyLab fell to earth in 1979, an Australian town fined them $400 -- for littering.

12 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Same thing happens to me by Jason1729 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The space laboratory was supposed to become a symbol of China's ambitious bid to become a space superpower. After two years in space, Tiangong 1 started experiencing technical failure. Last year Chinese officials confirmed that the space laboratory had to be scrapped.

    Every time I buy Chinese made tech, I start out with high hopes for it. Then 2 years later everything starts breaking and I have to give up and scrap it and buy something good.

    1. Re:Same thing happens to me by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 3, Funny

      In Mandarin that translates to
      (thanks to /. unicode support).

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
  2. Re:Very Accurate by dmesg0 · · Score: 4, Informative

    The chances of the debris to hit anyone are low (the area with actual humans on it divided by total area of earth), that's why it's unlikely. If they do hit someone, the chances of harm are quite high, but again, that's unlikely to happen.

  3. Dead like me? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Meet Georgia Lass (who prefers to be called George). She is a young Seattle college dropout who is unhappy with life. She is always at odds with her mom, Joy. One day coming back from her temp job as a filing clerk, she is hit by the toilet seat of the re-entering Space Station Mir. Finding out she is now dead, she is recruited to become a grim reaper.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt03...

    1. Re:Dead like me? by InterGuru · · Score: 5, Funny

      "she is hit by the toilet seat of the re-entering Space Station"

      An ass toroid

  4. Re:Very Accurate by AncalagonTotof · · Score: 2

    I was poorly trying to refer to The Guide (the one which says "Don't panic").
    I can't quote, but think it says something like : the most improbable things have more chances to happen.

    But can you imagine me, a French guy, trying to make a joke on a mostly US site, using UK literature references ...

    --
    Totof
  5. Beware falling toilet seats by elrous0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Those things will get you a post-it note for sure.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  6. Re:Will probably crash into western Australia by elrous0 · · Score: 2

    Well, if movies have taught me anything, all that's out there are mutant gangs and dune-buggies anyway. It would be ashamed to lose all that S&M gear and shoulderpads though.

    --
    SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  7. Re:Very Accurate by sconeu · · Score: 3, Funny

    Only if you're having a nice hot cup of tea.

    --
    General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
  8. Re:Will probably crash into western Australia by tomhath · · Score: 2

    Everything in Australia is the most dangerous in the world. Even things that are not in the world at the moment.

  9. Re:Very Accurate by Wraithlyn · · Score: 3, Funny

    I think you'll find most people on Slashdot are familiar with Hitchhiker's Guide. But your reference need to contain an actual.... reference.

    "Ford," said Arthur, "there's an infinite number of monkeys at the door who'd like to discuss the probability of Tiangong-1 hitting someone..."

    --
    "Mind, as manifested by the capacity to make choices, is to some extent present in every electron." -Freeman Dyson
  10. Re:MADE IN CHINA by Whibla · · Score: 2

    Pardon, that was a feature, not a bug.

    No, they were definitely Doodle Bugs.