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Monday, September 19, 2011

There's a 1 In 3,200 Chance A Satellite Might Hit A Human This Week

NASA is closely watching a six-ton satellite as it prepares to fall to Earth. Scientists believe the dead satellite will hit on Thursday or Friday of this week, give-or-take a day, and they believe it'll break up into 26 pieces as it gets closer. The odds of one of those pieces — the heaviest will be about 350 lbs. — hitting a person are 1 in 3,200. Right now, all continents except Antarctica are likely to see some falling debris. (NASA)
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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 1:07 PM

    why not send a rocket to hit and make smaller pieces?

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 2:20 PM

    better yet why not send up superman???

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 3:03 PM

    I hope it lands on the head of the guy that killed the shuttle program.

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 3:37 PM

    Lawyers are placing thier bets!

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  5. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 3:58 PM

    There are probably people hoping it hits them so they can sue!
    What a world we live in today!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 4:08 PM

    If it would only land on Obama... We could only hope for that Change...

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 4:11 PM

    That is a MUCH higher probability than the probability of me winning the lottery.

    Think about how many people buy lottery tickets each day in hopes of winning.

    Wow. Makes me want to hide under a bed this week.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 4:23 PM

    4:11 wrote: "That is a MUCH higher probability than the probability of me winning the lottery."

    Actually, no. There is a 1 in 3,200 chance of it hitting a human on the planet. But to figure the chances of it hitting YOU, you have to multiply 3,200 by the 6.77 billion population. Therefore, you personally have a 1 in 21.6 billion chance of being hit. I'd stick with the lottery (although neither are very good odds).

    BTW, I've projected the orbits for the two-day window when NASA says it will come down -- none pass directly over Delmarva, so if you live here your chances of being hit are zero as long as you stay home ;)

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  9. AnonymousSeptember 19, 2011 at 11:47 PM

    At least this particular satellite had a distinct purpose.Everything looks fantastic when launched,but a satellite has the residual affect of actually paying for itself.This represents money well spent,but all good things must come to an end.

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  10. AnonymousSeptember 21, 2011 at 12:14 PM

    3,200 times 6.77 billion makes one in 21 TRILLION, not billion.

    ReplyDelete

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