China says debris from falling rocket unlikely to cause harm
The largest section of the rocket that launched the main module of China’s first permanent space station into orbit is expected to plunge back to Earth as early as Saturday at an unknown location.
Associated Press
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A Long March 5B rocket carrying a module for a Chinese space station lifts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang in southern China s Hainan Province, on April 29. The central rocket segment that launched the 22.5-ton core of China s newest space station into orbit is due to plunge back to Earth as early as Saturday in an unknown location.
Merseyside mum packs emergency bag as debris from rocket could hit Earth this weekend
Debris from a Chinese rocket is expected to fall back to Earth in an uncontrolled re-entry this weekend
Mum-of-two Daniela Visone, originally from Whiston, packs emergency bag as debris from Chinese rocket could hit Earth at weekend (Image: Daniela Visone)
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China Discounts Possibility of Harm From Falling Rocket The largest section of the rocket that launched the main module of China’s first permanent space station into orbit is expected to plunge back to Earth as early as Saturday at an unknown location
Published May 7, 2021 •
Updated on May 7, 2021 at 6:10 am
Ju Zhenhua/Xinhua via AP
China says the upper stage of its Long March 5B rocket that launched the core module of its space station will mostly burn up on re-entry, posing little threat to people and property on the ground.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbing said Chinese authorities will release information about the re-entry of the rocket, expected over the weekend, in a “timely manner.”
Re-entry of the space junk is expected Saturday within an 18-hour window
The re-entry prediction for the Long March 5B rocket body from The Aerospace Corp.‘s Center for Orbital and Re-entry Debris Studies from earlier this week. The ground traces shown in the above image extend the full uncertainty window for re-entry with predictions expected to improve as re-entry draws closer. (The Aerospace Corp. photo) By Janene Scully, Noozhawk North County Editor | @JaneneScully
May 7, 2021
| 8:39 p.m.
Some Vandenberg Air Force Base members have been keeping a close eye on out-of-control debris from a Chinese rocket as they calculate as close as possible when and where the space junk might land.
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The central rocket segment that launched the 22.5-ton core of China s newest space station into orbit is due to plunge back to Earth as early as Saturday in an unknown location. (Ju Zhenhua/Xinhua via AP, File)
WASHINGTON, DC A 22-ton uncontrolled section of a Chinese rocket is hurtling toward Earth and is expected to soon re-enter the atmosphere, hitting the planet s surface as early as Saturday.
It s the stuff doomsday movies are made of; however, there s very little reason to fear, experts say. The risk that there will be some damage or that it would hit someone is pretty small not negligible, it could happen but the risk that it will hit you is incredibly tiny. And so I would not lose one second of sleep over this on a personal threat basis, Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Astrophysics Center at Harvard University, told CNN this week.