Chinese Space Station Is Tumbling Toward an Easter Sunday CrashBy Tariq Malik, Space.com Managing Editor | March 29, 2018 06:33pm ET
Full story at Space.comARLINGTON, Va. – The falling Chinese space station Tiangong-1 is tumbling in orbit and may crash back to Earth early Easter Sunday (April 1), experts say.
Estimates for the crash of Tiangong-1 range sometime between March 31 and April 1, with a focus of 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT) on April 1, according to Aerospace Corp., which is tracking the space lab's fall. That April 1 target comes with an error of 16 hours, so the spacecraft could potentially begin its fiery death dive anytime between Saturday and Sunday afternoon. An analysis by the European Space Agency also supports that re-entry estimate. [China's Falling Tiangong-1: What You Need to Know]
An artist's illustration of China's Tiangong-1 space station as it breaks apart and burns up in Earth's atmosphere.
An artist's illustration of China's Tiangong-1 space station as it breaks apart and burns up in Earth's atmosphere.
Credit: Aerospace Corporation
But scientists and engineers still cannot pinpoint exactly where and when the 9.4-ton (8.5 metric tons) space station will fall. Partly that is because the school bus-size Tiangong-1 is tumbling as it falls, which makes it hard to predict how atmospheric drag will affect the spacecraft's re-entry time and path, Aerospace Corp. engineers said Wednesday (March 28). ...
... In a statement today (March 29), CMSEO officials said the public should not fear being hit by debris from Tiangong-1. ...
If you are able to see the Tiangong-1 re-entry, you can report your sighting to Aerospace Corp.'s Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies through the CORDS website
here.