ROSAT Falling in October

"SATELLITE RE-ENTRY: The ROSAT X-ray observatory, launched in 1990 by NASA and managed for years by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), will return to Earth within the next two weeks. Current best estimates place the re-entry between Oct. 22nd and 24th over an unknown part of Earth. Although ROSAT is smaller and less massive than UARS, which grabbed headlines when it re-entered on Sept. 24th, more of ROSAT could reach the planet's surface. This is because the observatory is made of heat-tolerant materials. According to a DLR study, as many as 30 individual pieces could survive the fires of re-entry. The largest single fragment would likely be the telescope's mirror, which is very heat resistant and may weigh as much as 1.7 tons."

www.spaceweather.com...

1.7 tons? I would hate to be in the path of that when it comes down.

I posted this on the Solar Activity
thread yesterday. I was wondering
at the time if individual pieces
of debri can weigh as much as
1.7 tons or would that be the
weight of all the debri together.


Thanks for starting the thread,
I think this would be good for
discussion. One of these times
its going to land in the wrong
place.

I did misread - its says the
largest single fragment.
Wow, duck and cover won't
do much in this case.

The entire satellite is 2,400 kg, and that is 5,291 pounds, slightly more than two and a half tons.

The largest piece of surviving debris would be about 400 kg, and that is 882 pounds, less than a ton, and less than my Cadillac engine. The ceramics on the craft have the best chance of impact, though the glass probably will but could molt around a bit and disperse. Working glass blowing kiln temperatures are around 1,100ºC, reentry can reach 1,260ºC.