Where will I be tonight? In my backyard, watching for that Russian ISS resupply cargo ship that went into an uncontrolled spin shortly after launch on April 28th. It is due to crash down somewhere on Earth tonight, and will be spiraling in like a fireball. It’s course is very erratic, but it will be traveling generally West to East. Flying at 17,000km per hour, it’s circuit around the globe takes just 90 minutes. Of course it’s speed will be slowed significantly once it enters Earth atmosphere. And once that happens it will light up like a meteor. Could be an awesome sight to see.
What’s coming down? A few tons of metal, fuel & cargo. A Russian resupply ship is spiraling in for crashdown tonight. pic.twitter.com/irVdjYu4pZ
— Tame Bear (@TameBear) May 7, 2015
Here are a couple stories about the event…
The Guardian – What Are Your Chances of Being Hit by Falling Debris?
Slate – Failed Russian Space Capsule to Re-enter Earth Atmosphere Today
Duncan Steel – Orbital Path of Russian Spacecraft Progress 59
(with animations showing the likely path to crashdown)
