Heads Up! Three-Ton Satellite Is Coming Down Posted by Scott Manning on January 30, 2002 | Comments (0)

The sky isn't falling, but a 7,000-pound science satellite is. The Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer is expected to plunge uncontrolled to the Earth between 10 p.m. EST Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday, NASA announced Tuesday.

Though bits of the satellite could hit the Earth, they probably will not come down in a populated area, the space agency said. "The probability of the few ... surviving pieces falling into a populated area and hurting someone is very small," Ronald E. Mahmot, project manager for Space Science Missions at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., said. "It is more likely that the small pieces will fall into the ocean or fall harmlessly to the ground."Full Story...