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| What goes up must come down. (Credit: NASA) |
Charlestown residents can breathe a sigh of relief: Although NASA still doesn't know exactly where the obsolete 6.5-ton satellite currently hurtling to Earth will land, they've narrowed the impact window to sometime tomorrow afternoon, at which point it won't be passing over Charlestown or indeed anywhere in North America.
Sorry to disappoint anyone who was hoping to find a nice chunk of space debris in their back yard to sell on eBay. But you can still get in on the betting action on where it lands. Although any eventual debris will most likely land in the water, if any pieces do reach land, odds are it will be either in Africa (9-4 odds) or South America (11-to-4 odds).
By Linda Felaco
UPDATE, Friday, September 23, 8:45 p.m.:
We're not completely in the clear yet; the NASA satellite has slowed its descent and will not be landing until sometime tomorrow, meaning there's a slight chance it could still strike the U.S. But if you were planning to scour your yard for debris to sell on eBay, fuhgeddaboutit: Finders aren't keepers. Turns out any surviving wreckage belongs to NASA and it's illegal to keep it. NASA says if you find anything, you're not supposed to touch it (it could have dangerous sharp edges), you're supposed to alert law enforcement.
UPDATE, Friday, September 23, 8:45 p.m.:
We're not completely in the clear yet; the NASA satellite has slowed its descent and will not be landing until sometime tomorrow, meaning there's a slight chance it could still strike the U.S. But if you were planning to scour your yard for debris to sell on eBay, fuhgeddaboutit: Finders aren't keepers. Turns out any surviving wreckage belongs to NASA and it's illegal to keep it. NASA says if you find anything, you're not supposed to touch it (it could have dangerous sharp edges), you're supposed to alert law enforcement.