A Huge Chinese Rocket Will (Probably) Crash Into Earth Tonight

[Syt]

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/05/08/a-huge-chinese-rocket-will-probably-crash-into-earth-tonight-heres-what-we-know/?sh=662d7a202659

A Huge Chinese Rocket Will (Probably) Crash Into Earth Tonight. Here's What We Know.

Part of a rocket launched by the Chinese space agency is slated to make a rapid, uncontrolled return to Earth late Saturday night, but while it's still unclear where and when the hurtling 100-foot-long booster section will land, most experts think the risk of hitting a population center is low.

KEY FACTS

- The Long March-5B rocket was launched last week carrying a module for a Chinese space station, but unlike in most rocket launches, the core booster entered Earth's orbit at high speed instead of falling back to Earth immediately, and gravity is now pulling it back toward the planet.

- The rocket section is moving so quickly that it's tough to predict where it will re-enter: The Aerospace Corporation expects re-entry above the North Atlantic off Spain, but earlier guesses placed it near New Zealand, Madagascar and Bermuda, and the U.S. military's Space Command says the entry point "cannot be pinpointed" until hours beforehand.

- Don't worry: Researchers say the odds of debris crashing into a building — or a person — are extremely slim, largely because oceans cover over 70% of Earth's surface and sparsely populated land takes up most of the rest.

- The vast majority of the booster will burn up after re-entering the atmosphere, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured reporters Friday, though Aerospace Corporation engineer Marlon Sorge said up to 10 metric tons of debris could survive the fall to Earth.

CRUCIAL QUOTE
"I would not lose one second of sleep over this on a personal threat basis," Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell told CNN earlier this week.

KEY BACKGROUND
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed this week it's "common practice" for rockets like Long March to burn up after entering the atmosphere. But experts say it isn't common for massive rocket pieces to pose this kind of threat. Normally, rocket boosters are designed to detach and deliberately steer themselves toward the ocean in a controlled manner, instead of entering orbit and careening unpredictably toward Earth. McDowell blamed Long March's uncontrolled landing on "poor design" in a tweet, and former Department of Homeland Security official Juliette Kayyem called it "complete negligence" during a CNN interview. The Pentagon was also critical of China's conduct this week: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said countries that launch rockets should be required to "operate in a safe and thoughtful mode."

SURPRISING FACT
The U.S. military is closely watching Long March's path, but Austin told reporters Thursday the Pentagon doesn't plan on trying to shoot down the rocket section, though he said "we have the capability to do a lot of things."

[The Brain]

How much lead does it contain?

[Admiral Yi]

Beebie Cee said the booster is going to follow a path: Australia-Pacific-Costa Rica-Haiti-Southern Europe-Saudi Arabia-Australia.

[Syt]

It fell into the Indian Ocean near the Maldives.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/09/chinese-rocket-debris-earth-indian-ocean

[DGuller]

All this hype for nothing. 

[mongers]

All this hype for nothing. 

Syt, our well know Texan poster, is getting into the swing of thinking big, so was channelling Timay.

[Eddie Teach]

Tim being our other well-known Texas poster.

[Valmy]

Man we should all get together sometime!