Saturday, November 9, 2013

GOCE Spacecraft Will Likely Make Uncontrolled Re-entry This Weekend

GOCE Spacecraft Will Likely Make Uncontrolled Re-entry This Weekend:
Artist rendition of the GOCE Satellite in orbit.  Credit:  ESA
GOCE Spacecraft Will Likely Make Uncontrolled Re-entry This Weekend
Artist rendition of the GOCE Satellite in orbit. Credit: ESA
The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite has been orbiting Earth in super-low orbits since 2009, mapping out variations in Earth’s gravity in extreme detail. But its fuel ran out in mid-October and the satellite began its slow descent towards Earth, being brought lower and lower by the effects of the atmosphere. Engineers predict it will re-enter completely and fall back to Earth sometime this weekend.
But no one can say for sure when or where the 1-ton satellite will fall.
(...)
Read the rest of GOCE Spacecraft Will Likely Make Uncontrolled Re-entry This Weekend (400 words)

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