Space debris has crashed into Earth on a number of occasions, including last year.
The good news is that debris plunging toward Earth - while unnerving - generally poses very little threat to personal safety. As Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Astrophysics Centre at Harvard University, said: This is not the end of days.
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In this photo released by Chinas Xinhua News Agency, a Long March 5B rocket carrying a module for a Chinese space station lifts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site.(AP)
Still, the episode has fuelled fresh questions about space debris, uncontrolled re-entry and what precautions might need to be taken, if any.
Updated: 10:11 AM MDT May 6, 2021 By Paul LeBlanc The large Chinese rocket that is out of control and set to reenter Earth s atmosphere this weekend has brought about an alarming but not unprecedented situation.Space debris has crashed into Earth on a number of occasions, including last year.The good news is that debris plunging toward Earth while unnerving generally poses very little threat to personal safety. As Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Astrophysics Center at Harvard University, told CNN: This is not the end of days. Still, the episode has fueled fresh questions about space debris, uncontrolled reentry and what precautions might need to be taken, if any.Here s what you need to know:How often does uncontrolled space debris crash into Earth?Most pieces will burn up in the Earth s atmosphere before having a chance to make an impact on the surface. But parts of larger objects, like rockets, can survive reentry and potentially reach populated ar
China silent on falling debris of its space rocket amid rising concerns
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May 06, 2021 19:19 IST
The Pentagon said that it was tracking a large Chinese rocket that is out of control and set to re-enter earth s atmosphere this weekend.
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A Long March 5B rocket carrying a module for a Chinese space station lifts off from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in Wenchang in southern China s Hainan Province on April 29.
| Photo Credit: AP
The Pentagon said that it was tracking a large Chinese rocket that is out of control and set to re-enter earth s atmosphere this weekend.
The first image of China s rouge Long March 5B rocket in orbit has been released by astronomers.
The Italy-based Virtual Telescope Project captured the craft, which appears like a glowing light, as it passed above the group s Elena robotic telescope.
The Chinese rocket made headlines this week when new surfaced the massive 21-ton vehicle would make an uncontrolled reentry weekend, with the possibility of landing in inhabited areas.
The rocket was moving extremely fast when it soared 435 miles above the Virtual Telescopes Project s telescope Wednesday evening, researchers said.
Gianluca Masi, an astronomer with the Virtual Telescope Project who snapped the image, stated that while the Sun was just a few degrees below the horizon, so the sky was incredibly bright: these conditions made the imaging quite extreme, but our robotic telescope succeeded in capturing this huge debris.
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05/06/2021 08:31 AM EDT
Welcome, China Watchers. This week’s guest host is Geoffrey Garrett, dean of the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and distinguished international political economist. He has previously served as the dean of the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and the business schools at the University of Sydney and University of New South Wales in Australia. Garrett is also a past president of the Pacific Council on International Policy, member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a winner of the Foreign Policy Association Medal. Over to you, Geoffrey. John Yea