NASA's UARS satellite

[thaumaturge]

The reentry for the NASA's UARS satellite is now scheduled for 0:00 - 04:00 UT (GMT) on the 24th of September (like this coming midnight or 5-9 PM Mountain.

This little bird is described as being about the size of a small bus!

While the individual odds of getting hit by it are guestimated in parts per billion or more, it's not nothing.

So to honor the occaision I reprint a song I wrote as the unknown singer in the late seventies:

Got Hit By A Piece Of Skylab (C. D.J.Pedersen 1979)

Got hit by a piece of Skylab
It wasn't very big
Came screaming dowm out of the sky
and ricochetted off a twig
It hit me right between the eyes
the results are plain to see
I got this bandage on my head
cause skylab fell on me.

Well I looked down and seen it lying there
so I picked it up off the ground
I figured I could take it back
to the NASA lost and found
It was about three inches long
and as I wiped off the dust
I saw these words upon it:
"Please Push To Flush"

(bridge)
Now you may think it's funny
About my accident
But I'm glad that's the part that hit me
and not the contents!

And you may think you're safe now
and I don't want to make you blue
But if you'll just remember:
The russians had one too!


Doc

[kevinkr]

I think I vaguely remember that song, may have heard of it at some point or other.. (Possible?) Thanks for posting..

[thaumaturge]

I did do it on the air at Salt Lake's #1 top 40 FM on a morning drive show, but I doubt it made it to Boston. There was however quite a spate of similar songs that showed up in the dead vinyl box at the station when it happened. I think I still have some in my "Ohmygod it made it to vinyl" 45 box.
Doc

[woodturner-fran]

apparently this is meant to come down in my neck of the woods..... if I'm not back tomorrow you know what happened....

[thaumaturge]

Current prediction has it splashing like due south of Hawaii about right on the equator. Just passed over tip of south america on a course that will skirt east edge of Africa then pass over Afganistan and China. So you're safe in Ireland.
Doc


Woman Hit By Space Junk, Lives To Tell The Tale | Fox News

http://www.n2yo.com/

[woodturner-fran]

Phew!!

[thaumaturge]

Whoa, looks like it's down! Sattelite tracking link http://www.n2yo.com froze up right atop the Tristan da Cunha island in mid south atlantic. Rather anti-climatic.
Doc

[woodturner-fran]

Mmm, this site shows its trackc as being over Russia right now...

UARS - Orbit Data

[thaumaturge]

Probably based on predicted orbit. One site lists it as off track for past 14 hours. I was wrong about it being down. Seems to be skipping like stone on water. Only site I can get at all shows a smear south of Austrailia.
Doc

[thaumaturge]

Hold it! UARS has it back on track for Ireland!... but http://www.infosatellites.com/uars-s...rad-21701.html has it south of Fiji... I'm so confused!
Doc