asry477@ut-emx.uucp (Miss DeCyber) (02/09/91)
Isn't it like really interesting how satellites/space stations keep falling on LAND areas, rather than over the oceans? Canada, Australia, and now Argentina are the current members in this exclusive club. There are only two possible explanations: it's either magic or a small number statistics. BTW, what's the next big thing that will shower debris down to Earth? Ron asry477@emx.utexas.edu
myb100@csc.anu.edu.au (02/09/91)
In article <43925@ut-emx.uucp>, asry477@ut-emx.uucp (Miss DeCyber) writes: > Isn't it like really interesting how satellites/space stations keep > falling on LAND areas, rather than over the oceans? Canada, Australia, > and now Argentina are the current members in this exclusive club. > There are only two possible explanations: it's either magic or a small > number statistics. It's probably a more anthropic-principle type of thing. There are a large number of bits falling down from our local sky (ignoring meteors) all the time. Most of them do end up in the ocean. The only time you hear about some space junk coming down is when it (i) is big or (ii) hits land. Most ordinary satellites -> ocean => yawn. Make it a big one and every one is watching out for it. Make it nuclear/RTG powered..... Also, when something big comes down, it ain't coming down in one small area in a single lump. When Skylab came down, pieces covered a swathe across S.W. Australia (and the Indian ocean) some 200km long and quite a few wide. [BTW - who said uninhabited ? The people in Esperance got a show you wouldn't believe ! <envy - pure and un-adulterated :-)>.] The probability of a *part* of a large object hitting land is a lot greater than the 70%/30% area rule will give you. Then again - it could be a sign from above......:-)....??..:-( > Ron > asry477@emx.utexas.edu =============================================================================== Markus Buchhorn /// | This space Mt Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories, Canberra /// | PMB Weston Ck. P.O. A.C.T. 2611, Australia \\\/// | intentionally markus@mso.anu.edu.au -or- markus@merlin.anu.edu.au \XX/ | left blank ===============================================================================