German satellite expected to hit Earth on weekend
BERLIN - October 22, 2011
Andreas Schuetz, a spokesman for the German Aerospace Center,
said Saturday the best estimate is that the ROSAT scientific
research satellite will crash into the Earth sometime between late
Saturday and Sunday up to 1200 GMT (8 a.m. EDT). An update is
expected later Saturday.
Parts of the minivan-sized satellite will burn up during
re-entry but up to 30 fragments weighing 1.87 tons (1.7 metric
tons) could crash at speeds up to 280 mph (450 kph).
The satellite orbits every 90 minutes and it could hit Earth
anywhere along its path - a vast swath that includes much of the
planet outside the poles.
