This conceptual image shows the Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite, launched on Sept. 15, 1991. Sometime next week a dead
NASA satellite will fall back to Earth, read that as part of it
may crash back into the ground uncontrollably into an area yet
undefined. NASA expects the satellite to break up into pieces
during re-entry -- though they say not all of it will burn up in
the atmosphere and estimate that more than two dozen pieces may
make it to terra firma. They also say we shouldn't worry and
that no one has ever been hit by falling space junk in the past.
I trust NASA and take some solace in their assurances, however
when the odds of getting struck by some part of the 6-ton upper
atmosphere research satellite (UARS) are 1-in-3,200 ... well,
those odd's aren't exactly as high as I'd like them to be. After
all, taking a tongue-in-cheek approach to the odds, the chances
of this thing crashing down on my head are better than the
likelihood of me hitting a hole in one, which are 1-in-5,000,
(if you've ever go