Falling space junk that isn't a giant garbage ball...

This Friday, twenty-six pieces of a NASA satellite will plunge to the Earth over a 500 mile spread. Originally about the size of a bus, the satellite will break apart into pieces of flaming debris. The chances of it hitting you are 1-in-3,200. Launched back in 1991 by the Discovery shuttle, the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite was decommissioned in 2005. It was placed into a lower orbit to not interfere with the International Space Station. Presently, it has run out of fuel and has entered “uncontrolled reentry” according to NASA. The event is becoming somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon, major news outlets all over have reported about the arrival. Facebook has people buzzing about it, whether it’s about concern or jokes. As noteworthy as the story may seem, the Skylab incident back in 1979 had far more exposure with a humorous result in the end.

I chose this article because I am fascinated with space. I’m certainly no astrophysicist but I do know why the movie, Armageddon is so incredibly inaccurate. The realization that a NASA launched satellite will fall to the earth and the reaction that it generates is interesting. It’s true that it isn’t as popular or silly as Skylab or as devastating or tragic as the shuttle disasters but there is always going to be activity involved with something falling onto us. The article hit on the nail on the head about comparing it to thunderbolts hurled from Zeus. There’s always going to be paranoia with this sort of scenario. I just hope that one day, we don't launch our garbage into space...

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/23/science/space/23satellite.html