Mysterious Chunk of Space Trash Is on a Collision Course With Earth

originally posted by: wildespace
Why the hell people get hung up on Hopi prephecies, is beyond me. What about prophecies from Asian/Australian/African/European peoples? It's kinda unfair to give preference to one people over all others.

Thanks for that, EXACTLY!!!
altho I will wager none of them anywhere is referencing space junk.

I think there are thousands of things that fall on our earth every year from space but they are not all mentioned.
If you want to know how many ask Phage as I'm to miserable to search.

a reply to: crayzeed
Not so much thousands. But a good number.
www.aerospace.org...

Of course, that doesn't count rocks.

originally posted by: Phage
a reply to: crayzeed
Not so much thousands. But a good number.
www.aerospace.org...

Of course, that doesn't count rocks.

Wow, I didn't know that much stuff was falling into our atmosphere this year alone.

originally posted by: eriktheawful
a reply to: peppycat

You are aware that every single thing here on Earth (and that we've put out into space) came from space in the first place, right?

Every single molecule of every element that is naturally found here on Earth came from the very first stars that formed in the early universe.

Just like food it looks way better on the way in than on the way out!

a reply to: lostbook

6 ft and hollow to boot, one does have to wonder why even mention this object!

doh

originally posted by: SeaWorthy
a reply to: lostbook

6 ft and hollow to boot, one does have to wonder why even mention this object!

Because it's rare to have such a good hack on when and where something will enter this long before it actually does so. This permits an opportunity to set-up observers and take scientific measurements of what is happening.

Only 2 meters? It will burn up. 2 meters is like 6ft.

a reply to: Caver78

nasa should try to take a picture of it when its at it's closest point

originally posted by: Saint Exupery

originally posted by: SeaWorthy
a reply to: lostbook

6 ft and hollow to boot, one does have to wonder why even mention this object!

Because it's rare to have such a good hack on when and where something will enter this long before it actually does so. This permits an opportunity to set-up observers and take scientific measurements of what is happening.

You would think there would be plenty of opportunity.

More than 500,000 pieces of debris, or “space junk,” are tracked as they orbit the Earth.

www.nasa.gov...

Interesting mystery object.
The mysterious sky light blazed up at 1:29 a.m. EDT (0529 GMT) Monday and was witnessed by skywatchers from Louisiana to Virginia — and by all six meteor-observing cameras operated by NASA in the Southeast.

But this was no meteor, said Bill Cooke, head of the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
www.space.com...

originally posted by: SeaWorthy

originally posted by: Saint Exupery

originally posted by: SeaWorthy
a reply to: lostbook

6 ft and hollow to boot, one does have to wonder why even mention this object!

Because it's rare to have such a good hack on when and where something will enter this long before it actually does so. This permits an opportunity to set-up observers and take scientific measurements of what is happening.

You would think there would be plenty of opportunity.

Actually, not. Almost all stuff that reenters does so from a decaying orbit that gradually tightens its spiraling path and skims the upper atmosphere unpredictably based on fluctuating air density and unknown drag because it's tumbling erratically -- even an hour ahead of demise it's still predictable only a path thousands of miles long.

As I understand it this object is in an extremely elongated orbit where at its farthest point it is distorted by solar and lunar gravity, and recent distortions have set up a path that plunges into the atmosphere at a much steeper angle, much less 'uncertain', so the prediction may be the most accurate ever made for an expected reentry.

That's my preliminary take on this fascinating event.

originally posted by: SeaWorthy

originally posted by: Saint Exupery

originally posted by: SeaWorthy
a reply to: lostbook

6 ft and hollow to boot, one does have to wonder why even mention this object!

Because it's rare to have such a good hack on when and where something will enter this long before it actually does so. This permits an opportunity to set-up observers and take scientific measurements of what is happening.

You would think there would be plenty of opportunity.

www.nasa.gov...

Interesting mystery object.
The mysterious sky light blazed up at 1:29 a.m. EDT (0529 GMT) Monday and was witnessed by skywatchers from Louisiana to Virginia — and by all six meteor-observing cameras operated by NASA in the Southeast.

But this was no meteor, said Bill Cooke, head of the Meteoroid Environment Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
www.space.com...

Funny you should cite this case, already in detailed discussion here:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

I read that it's predicted to burn up and possibly splash down in the Indian Ocean. I'm more than a little jealous that we here in North America won't be able to see the tremendous light show as the object burns up during re-entry. Given that most of the shooting stars which are visible to the naked eye are between the size of a bb and a grain of sand, it's sure to be spectacular!

originally posted by: hknudzkknexnt
a reply to: Caver78

nasa should try to take a picture of it when its at it's closest point

Yes, they should. & share their findings!

Uh-oh..

a reply to: JimOberg

Yes just ran across it while looking at stats. Thanks for the link.

They know its size, shape, even that it is hollow. They know its trajectory and where it will collide .... but they don't know what it is.


................right ...............

I hope it's not a WMD someone left floating around and forgotten out there.

Relax!
It's just one of 'lil Kim's toys - a parachute will deploy and save it from burning up due to friction.

World saved ...

Ed: Not sure if the go-pro made it ...