Story Created:
Sep 8, 2011 at 4:39 PM EDT
Story Updated:
Sep 8, 2011 at 4:39 PM EDT
NASA says one of its dead satellites will soon fall to Earth but there's very little chance that it will hit someone.
WASHINGTON (AP) - NASA says one of its dead satellites will soon fall to Earth but there's very little chance that it will hit someone.
The space agency doesn't know when or where its 20-year-old satellite will drop. It will probably be in late September but could fall in October. And it could land anywhere south of Juneau, Alaska, and north of the tip of South America. NASA says there is only a 1 in 3,200 chance of satellite parts hitting someone.
Experts say don't worry. In the more than 50 years of the space age, no one has ever been hurt by falling space debris. The 6-ton satellite was used to monitor the atmosphere. Most of it will burn up during reentry. Only about 1,200 pounds of metal should survive.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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