Death from Above!

Monroe · Post by **Monroe** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 9:53 am

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080126/ap_ ... _satellite

How comforting.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 10:13 am

Uh, if it fell out of orbit wouldn't it just burn up in the atmosphere?

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:23 pm

Mostly, but if it's "the size of a small bus", not all of it would - it'll break up and dump small pieces of debris over a large area. Not enough to cause serious widespread damage, but even a small lump going at high speed would really muck up your day if it landed on your head. Depending on how big the lumps are and how fast they're going the could also do serious damage to any vehicles and buildings they hit.

Post by **Teaos** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 1:31 pm

Look at Columbia that broke up and still dropped tones of stuff onto Texas.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 2:50 pm

Ah, okay then.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 2:58 pm

Teaos wrote:Look at Columbia that broke up and still dropped tones of stuff onto Texas.

Slightly different situation though, since Columbia was a) a lot bigger than the satellite we're talking about, and b) broke up quite deep in the atmosphere, so the wreckage was much less likely to burn up. The debris from this satellite will be a lot smaller, and they'll be a lot less of it.

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:20 am

You all probably don't remember, but I recall when everyone was waiting for Skylab to fall on their heads.

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:04 pm

Mikey wrote:You all probably don't remember, but I recall when everyone was waiting for Skylab to fall on their heads.

Speaking of Skylab, the US government and/or NASA still owes some Australian local authorities a fine they were issued for littering.

Post by **Mikey** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 12:29 pm

IIRC, the description of the area where the pieces fell indicates that the scrap would have been worth more than the fine.

All jokes aside, there is one reason why this satellite's collapse could be more dangerous than that - hydrazine.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 4:44 pm

Bits of Skylab fell on Australia?

Post by **Captain Seafort** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:23 pm

AFAIK the whole thing did, at least those bits that didn't burn up. Pieces of it knocked holes in various cars, buildings etc, and got the local council sufficiently riled to fine the US government for littering. They haven't paid up yet.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:33 pm

........littering?
They have a space station land on them, and they fine the US for littering?

They haven't paid up yet.

Why am I not surprised?

Post by **Mikey** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 1:32 am

No, a small portion fell on the Australian outback, while most of the surviving pieces fell into the Indian Ocean. IIRC, nobody was hurt, although a couple of trailers did get a hole or two.

And I don't think they ever sent us the summons.

Sionnach Glic · Post by **Sionnach Glic** » Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:22 pm

Ah, okay then.