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American Morning

7,000-Pound Satellite About to Make Uncontrolled Re-Entry into Earth's Atmosphere

Aired January 30, 2002 - 07:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: A 7,000 pound satellite is about to make an uncontrolled re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere sometime between tonight and tomorrow morning. Fragments of the NASA-owned satellite could range in size from nine pounds to 100 pounds.

CNN space correspondent Miles O'Brien joins us now from Atlanta with the head's up.

Is it time to duck yet, Miles.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT: Not just yet, Paula.

As a matter of fact, where you are, it's absolutely impossible for the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer to hit. And explain why in just a moment. So you're OK. As a matter of fact we're OK here in Atlanta.

There's a swath of the planet that has to be worried. It's everything from 28 degrees north to 28 degrees south. That's a little bit of droggen (ph). Essentially, that means Orlando, Florida to the north, Brisbane, Australia to the south.

Let's take a look at some computer animation which gives you an idea of where the EUVU is, as we take a look, using the highlighting capability of our telestrator, you can sense of where it is right now. It is traveling the earth at about 124 miles right now. It is losing altitude of the rate of about 15 miles per day.

As it comes down, it will get to the point where it will heat up and eventually break up into several pieces.

As Paula pointed out, it's predicted that nine pieces will, in fact, survive.

Now where will it go? Well essentially, this is a 28-degree inclined orbit, so that means there's a swath in the planet from here to about there that is impacted by this satellite, and of course you can't see that now. This line we just drew. If you put the telestrator there, and perhaps show folks exactly what I'm talking about. Let's take a look at some animation of the satellite and give you a sense of what it looks like. It was launched back in 1992, June 7th to be exact. It's mission: to view ultraviolate images from space. You can't see UV images from where we sit on the ground. That's why you need a space telescope to do that. The spacecraft is, as we say, 7,000 pounds. Now to put into perspective, Mir was about 40 times bigger, so this was on the large end of a small satellite, let's just say. Now last summer you may recall the Compton Gama Ray Observer was brought down over the South Pacific in a similar orbit. It came down in streaking blaze of glory. The difference here, this one was a controlled entry, and it went down and fell harmlessly into the South Pacific.

Same went for the Russian space station Mir March of last year. I'm sure you'll recall that one, these incredible images of the six major components of Mir as it came down, also a controlled re-entry. The big difference on this one, completely uncontrolled. They have no way of controlling it, and thus it's very difficult to predict exactly where it will land. It's plus or minus at least 5,000 miles, even on the predictions which go right before the impact -- Paula.

ZAHN: Plus or minus 5,000 miles? Not very good of odds figuring where it will fall. Hey, you did valiant job without that telestrator, Miles.

O'BRIEN: When I lose my telestrator, I feel like less a man. I don't know.

ZAHN: No one is better at the map that you are.

Miles, we miss seeing you. Good to have you back on A.M.

O'BRIEN: Any time you want me to be here, I will.

ZAHN: Just every day this time this day would be great.

O'BRIEN: OK.

ZAHN: See you later, Miles.

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