Scientists say they will have just 20 minutes to warn people exactly where the six-ton, 20-year-old research satellite will crash. The British Kettering Group of amateur satellite observers has been using orbital data, released by US authorities, to try and predict where this will be. Their latest estimates put a re-entry somewhere between 23:00 GMT and 15:00 GMT. Source
Period: 87.82 minutes Inclination: 56.93° Apogee: 170 km Perigee: 163 km Revolution Number: 10920 Predicted Location: 36°S, 54.8°E
Ed ~ BTW, The funny code above is a simple two lineELSET code is used to describe the orbit of a satellite. You just need to 'cut and paste' it into 'notepad', or similar, and save as a .txt file for use in your satellite program.
US officials now say the fall to Earth of Nasa's six-tonne UARS satellite could occur early on Saturday (GMT). Estimates of where debris might fall will be narrowed hours before impact. And a UK team studying the trajectory says the most likely time for re-entry could be after 23:00 GMT Friday, and as late as 03:00 GMT on Saturday Read more
Hydrazine is an inorganic compound with the formula N2H4. It is a colourless flammable liquid with an ammonia-like odour. Hydrazine is highly toxic and dangerously unstable unless handled in solution. Read more
Whilst an impact on the North American continent has been ruled out, the satellite could hit populated areas anywhere between the 57th parallel north, e.g. Scotland, and the 57th parallel south, which passes just below South America. Citizens were warned, however, not to touch any satellite debris after impact. Read more