Saturday, September 24, 2011

Obsolete Satellite Falls, No One Notices

NASA satellite breaks up, plunges back to Earth
A six-ton NASA science satellite pierced the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean and fell back to Earth, the U.S. space agency said on Saturday, but it was not yet known where the remains landed.

NASA said its decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, which took an unpredictable course as it tumbled through the upper atmosphere, fell to Earth sometime between 11:23 p.m. EDT on Friday and 1:09 a.m. EDT on Saturday.

"The precise re-entry time and location are not yet known with certainty," NASA said of the 20-year-old satellite.

There were reports on Twitter of debris falling over Okotoks, a town south of Calgary in western Canada, most likely satellite remains.
Why do I have the sneaky feeling NASA would have preferred something showier?

UPDATE:  A great post from "Three Beers Later":
If NASA's Falling Satellite Had Hit Los Angeles...

If it had landed in Beverly Hills, it would have been towed...

If it had landed in MacArthur Park, it would have got a fake green card and driver's license...

If it had landed in South Central or East LA, it would have have at least four sets of gang sign tagged, and at least two bodies in the trunk...
As they say, go see the rest.

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