PARIS, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- European scientists say a 1-ton research satellite will crash to Earth in the next few days but they aren't sure where.
The Gravity Field and Steady-State Ocean Circulation Explorer satellite will descend from an altitude of about 100 miles, Sky News reported.
European Space Agency officials said when it reaches about 50 miles above Earth, it will break apart and most of the pieces will burn up before they hit the ground Sunday or Monday.
A total of about 440 pounds of satellite fragments are expected to hit the ground.
"At present we can not say where the re-entry is going to happen except that it is not going to happen north of the 85 northern latitude or south of 85 southern latitude," said Professor Heiner Klinkrad of the ESA. "We are in contact with national civil protection agencies throughout Europe, of ESA member states, so they get all the information we have on the re-entry prediction and that also includes information on emergencies in case parts of the satellite fall on inhabited areas."
Klinkrad said about 15,000 tons of material have re-entered the atmosphere since the former Soviet Union launched the first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957.
"Most of this burns up when it re-enters in the atmosphere due to aerothermal heating," he said. "So typically between 10 percent and 40 percent of the initial mass survives such a re-entry. And the few pieces that survive than reach the ground, but with much reduced velocity."
