tn1911
07-29-22, 10:53
https://news.sky.com/story/fears-grow-that-massive-debris-from-chinese-rocket-could-crash-in-populated-parts-of-the-us-this-weekend-12661125
Chinese state media has dismissed the concerns as "sour grapes" and claimed to have a "flawless safety record" despite some analysis suggesting a previous re-entry damaged buildings in the Ivory Coast.
Concerns are growing that a Chinese space rocket's uncontrolled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere could scatter debris across populated parts of the US.
According to the Centre for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS) "over 88% of the world's population lives under the re-entry's potential debris footprint".
Experts at CORDS from the Aerospace Corporation have warned that as a "general rule of thumb... between 20-40% of the mass of a large object will reach the ground" depending on the object.
In the case of the Long March booster, which weighs 23 metric tonnes, this means between 4.6 and 9.2 metric tonnes will hit the Earth - the equivalent of a dozen 1963 Volkswagen Beetle cars.
Chinese state media has dismissed the concerns as "sour grapes" and claimed to have a "flawless safety record" despite some analysis suggesting a previous re-entry damaged buildings in the Ivory Coast.
Concerns are growing that a Chinese space rocket's uncontrolled re-entry into Earth's atmosphere could scatter debris across populated parts of the US.
According to the Centre for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies (CORDS) "over 88% of the world's population lives under the re-entry's potential debris footprint".
Experts at CORDS from the Aerospace Corporation have warned that as a "general rule of thumb... between 20-40% of the mass of a large object will reach the ground" depending on the object.
In the case of the Long March booster, which weighs 23 metric tonnes, this means between 4.6 and 9.2 metric tonnes will hit the Earth - the equivalent of a dozen 1963 Volkswagen Beetle cars.