Surprising predictions part 4

 China's Most Powerful Rocket is Falling to Earth This Weekend, We Don't Know Where It Will Land Yet

China's most powerful rocket to date is expected to fall back to Earth in the coming days, with no clear idea of where it will land — or even when it will fall. The rocket, named Long March 7, was launched on June 25 and was carrying an experimental satellite that was supposed to help the country with tracking ships in the South China Sea, but it never left orbit. China has attempted to guide the spacecraft back into the atmosphere but hasn't yet been successful. It could take days or weeks before its orbit decays enough for it to fall out of space and crash into our planet's surface.

What is the rocket?

The rocket is China's most powerful rocket, and it's scheduled to crash on Earth this weekend. We don't yet know where it will land, but we do know that it will be a spectacular sight. The rocket is over 100 feet long and has a diameter of nearly 20 feet. It's powered by four engines that produce a combined thrust of nearly 1.3 million pounds. The rocket is designed to carry heavy payloads into orbit, and it's been used to launch satellites and astronauts into space. But this weekend, the rocket will come crashing back down to Earth, and we don't yet know where it will land. Many people believe it will fall in the Pacific Ocean between Chile and New Zealand. The rocket will continue to descend from an altitude of about 130 miles above sea level until it impacts the ground at a speed of about 2.5 miles per second (4 kilometers per second). Experts estimate that the rocket will reach an altitude of about 125 miles before beginning its descent. A few hundred miles away from impact, people might see its fiery reentry in the sky with naked eyes for up to 8 seconds or so, which is pretty cool if you ask me! Near the landing site, local residents may hear a loud boom and feel shaking vibrations. It'll also be noisy as hell near the site too as sonic booms happen. In some places such as in rural America or Southeast Asia, locals may see the rocket break apart while they're still staring at it. In others such as Northern Africa or Eastern Europe, residents won't get to witness any of this since they'll have already gone to bed when it happens lolzzz. I think it would be cool if the rocket landed somewhere in Russia like Siberia where I live because I've never seen anything quite like this before. There are many different views on what this means for humanity. Some experts say that it could mean there are problems with the rocket design itself, while others suggest that new designs could be tested once this one crashes. Some people even speculate that China is planning to launch more rockets before 2020 Olympics in Beijing--just like how NASA launches rockets every few years just so something will fail eventually--but no one knows exactly what's going on just yet. Whatever does happen though, we can rest assured knowing that everything is going according to plan and everything will work out eventually lolzzz. What will the explosion look like?: Like I said earlier, people who watch the rocket plummeting from their location will be able to see it with their own eyes for a few seconds--some longer than others depending on how far away they are. So if you want to catch the show, keep your eye open during those couple hours before sunrise and after sunset today through Saturday night and Sunday morning. At first glance, someone watching the rocket plummeting might notice nothing besides a light falling rapidly in the sky. But as it gets closer, some really bright objects known as burning bits might appear against a dark backdrop in place of stars due to intense friction caused by air molecules colliding against each other. These are called meteors. The meteor shower will be much brighter and more colorful the closer it is to the Earth. It's usually a beautiful, surreal sight to see. But if the person is lucky enough to be close enough to the rocket's landing site, they might actually see a mushroom cloud from the explosion as well as a shockwave that spreads outward from it in all directions. This is caused by very large chunks of metal being tossed into the air and then smashing into other parts of the rocket that are on Earth or into structures on Earth. But this will only happen if it lands in an area with structures or in water--it won't create an atomic bomb-like destruction like it did for Hiroshima, Japan on August 6th 1945 lolzzz. In the event that it doesn't hit the ocean, we'll just see a giant ball of fire and smoke in the sky. The explosion will be heard and felt by anyone within 10 miles of the site as a big boom or bang. It'll take less than a minute for the fireball to expand to its full size. It will likely have shattered windows, broken glass, blown-off doors, cracked ceilings, destroyed buildings and other damage. And if it's high on the Earth's surface--maybe 100 meters or more--then it could produce small earthquakes with an intensity of about 3 on the Richter scale. People in the immediate vicinity will be hurt by flying debris, but it's unlikely that people on the ground will suffer from radiation. But if it falls into a populated area--such as an urban setting--then people could be killed or injured. The main danger for humans is the shrapnel from buildings and other structures that have been destroyed by the explosion and accompanying seismic waves. Anyone nearby is advised to stay away from these damaged areas to avoid injury or death. If it falls into an uninhabited region such as the wilderness, then it might not do anything more than set off a few car alarms lolzzzlolzzz. But if it falls into a rural area--meaning an area that's outside of an urban setting--then the explosion will be stronger and could produce a more powerful earthquake. For example, on February 13, 2017, a Chinese rocket crashed near the city of Mianzhu in Sichuan Province. The crash was 200 kilometers from Chengdu and 80 kilometers from Mianzhu. The town experienced two earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.7 and 4.8 on the Richter scale--which is considered a minor earthquake by most standards--that happened 12 minutes apart. Another example is when a Soviet rocket crashed in India in 1980 and caused an earthquake with magnitude 7 on the Richter scale to happen shortly afterwards. The earthquake was so strong that it caused a total of 5,800 deaths and 18,000 injuries. The best-case scenario is that the rocket will land in an uninhabited area and not cause any casualties. But even if the area is inhabited, at least the potential for serious casualties has now been eliminated. The rocket might be coming back to Earth soon, but there's no way to know where it will land yet. There are still too many variables to consider. The rocket is the heaviest and largest in China's history, which makes it difficult to track and predict. There are also a lot of other factors that need to be taken into account before trying to find where it will land, including weather patterns and how quickly the rocket is going when it re-enters Earth's atmosphere. When rockets come back down from space, they're traveling around 8 km per second--around three times faster than a bullet--so timing is crucial. This is why scientists use radars or astronomical observations that look for changes in the trajectory of an object as the Earth rotates, and those types of predictions can be up to a day ahead of time. But the rocket is moving in an unusual orbit, and it's on a polar orbit--meaning that it's orbiting the Earth in an east-west direction--so it'll be more difficult to predict where it will land. All we know for sure is that it will fall somewhere between 43 degrees North and 43 degrees South latitude. It'll be the third time in history that a rocket has fallen from space to Earth, and hopefully people don't have to wait until 2020 for another one lolzzz.

Why does it matter if the rocket crashes?

If the rocket crashes, it could cause major damage to property and potentially injure or kill people. The Chinese government has not released any information about what will happen if the rocket crashes, so we don't know how they will handle the situation. This could create a diplomatic incident between China and the country where the rocket falls. If the rocket contains toxic materials, it could also contaminate the area where it crashes. The Chinese government has urged people to stay indoors and avoid any potential debris from the rocket. In the event that there are toxic materials in the wreckage, authorities have said that they will evacuate the area surrounding the crash site and clean up any hazardous material. However, with no warning of where the rocket will land, this may be difficult. There is also a chance that some part of the launch system may survive reentry into Earth's atmosphere and fall somewhere else on our planet. One possibility is that it could fall into an ocean. If this happens, then marine life would most likely be affected by the pollution caused by the materials inside the rocket. Another possible outcome would be for some parts of the rocket to make contact with earth before crashing; these pieces could injure anyone who comes in contact with them or cause significant damage to buildings nearby. The most recent large object to return from space was Russia's Mir Space Station, which fell into the Pacific Ocean in 2001. 

In addition to the Mir Space Station, other objects that have fallen back down to Earth include NASA's Skylab space station and Russia's Salyut-7 space station. Pieces of these stations landed over areas spanning thousands of miles.

A common concern after the Mir Space Station crashed was whether it had carried anything dangerous such as fuel, radioactive materials, or biological agents aboard. These concerns were alleviated when NASA confirmed that all such dangerous substances had been removed prior to its launch. Some countries where large portions of the station crashed imposed emergency regulations banning fishing in those waters because they feared that toxins from the space station could leak out into their oceans and poison marine life (such as lobster). Although the exact effects depend on what type of cargo is aboard China's Tiangong-1 space lab module when it returns to Earth, concerns like those following Russia's Mir Space Station must be taken seriously until more details are available. For now, China's most powerful rocket remains poised for descent onto Earth at a location unknown. And though many people are interested in witnessing the spectacle of its fiery reentry through Earth's atmosphere, we should hope that it doesn't crash and burn. 

As with other satellites and spacecrafts, China’s Tiangong-1 spent much of its time while in orbit conducting experiments. Many satellites conduct scientific research during their time orbiting Earth; by allowing scientists to access these resources from space, there is an opportunity to take advantage of an environment without outside influences that could disrupt important results. In fact, one experiment conducted by Russia shortly before its Mir Space Station fell back down to Earth involved taking samples from different parts of the ruined spacecraft so scientists could compare how quickly fungus spread between different environments—including inside an enclosed satellite and out on exposed surfaces in space. The experiment, known as Fungi in Space, found that it took a lot longer for the fungus to grow in space than on Earth. This means that it might be able to play a role in helping astronauts survive long journeys through space, by providing food and oxygen. The Tiangong-1 space station also has an experimental facility for studying zero gravity conditions and radiation levels. Scientists believe that these findings could help us understand more about the human body's reaction to these conditions. Perhaps even more importantly, however, this sort of work helps scientists to figure out how humans can live in space for long periods of time. One day, this research may lead to the construction of structures capable of sustaining humans in places that are far away from Earth. 

The Chinese Tiangong-1 space lab module will eventually fall back down to Earth somewhere across a range stretching from northern Canada and Alaska to southern South America and New Zealand - but nobody knows yet exactly where it will land. What does this mean? Should we worry? The Tiangong-1 space station is an important experimental lab for scientists. It's unclear if the contents of the Tiangong-1 are hazardous, but considering the Mir Space Station did carry some material that could be dangerous, it's worth being cautious. The Mir Space Station crashes caused some countries to implement fishing bans on contaminated waters. This is a possibility as well for China's Tiangong-1 space station crashing. Of course, in the case of the Mir Space Station, NASA had ensured that any dangerous substances had been removed from the station. China's Tiangong-1 space lab module is not guaranteed to be carrying harmful materials. Even if it does, the ship is unlikely to break up when it enters Earth's atmosphere and therefore won't create a scattered field of debris. Still, this uncertainty as to where and when China's Tiangong-1 space lab module will make its final descent is worrisome. When we know more about the risks involved in crashing space stations on Earth, we'll be better prepared for them. Meanwhile, it's still possible that some countries could start banning certain activities or industries because of contamination risk (like they did after the crash of the Mir Space Station). Some think that these kinds of dangers should push nations towards abandoning our dependence on space technology. They argue that exploration should focus instead on technologies like drones or self-driving cars here on Earth. But what would happen if we did stop using our satellites? Satellites offer many benefits to society: from monitoring weather patterns, to sharing real-time data about forest fires or volcanic eruptions around the world with first responders who need them most urgently. Without satellites, communicating and staying connected would become a lot harder too.

What happens when a satellite falls from space?

When a satellite falls from space, it usually burns up in the atmosphere. However, sometimes pieces of the satellite can survive and land on Earth. These pieces are called space debris. If the debris is large enough, it can cause damage to property or even injure people. China's most powerful rocket is set to crash on Earth this weekend and we don't yet know where it will land. The Long March 7 carrier rocket was used by China's first cargo spacecraft, Tianzhou-1, to make its way into orbit last month. The uncrewed craft successfully docked with Tiangong-2 space lab module days later. The success marked a milestone for Beijing as it seeks to build a permanent manned station by 2022. But now there are concerns about where the booster might come down - especially if there's any malfunction that causes it to crash back onto Earth. China has been trying to launch rockets that bring back their boosters after they've completed their missions, which is meant to save costs and lower environmental risks. In June 2016, a Long March 4C rocket carrying an Intelsat satellite fell apart just after launch but no one was injured because it crashed in a rural area. The upcoming Saturday launch may give us some insight into how well China's new strategy is working out - but we'll have to wait until Sunday night for updates when this rocket comes crashing down somewhere near our planet. The title says we don't know yet where it will fall, so I thought it would be interesting to continue on with the same idea, specifically exploring what happens when a satellite falls from space. 

If a satellite does not completely burn up in the atmosphere (as discussed earlier), there are still risks associated with falling debris. Satellites often carry hazardous materials like hydrazine, mercury and plutonium which could present significant risk if the material lands near populated areas. One instance of severe danger occurred in 1996 when portions of Cosmos 954 (a defunct Russian nuclear-powered radar imaging satellite) landed near Yellowknife Bay on Canada's Great Slave Lake. The crash contaminated many species and contributed to major contamination events in terrestrial environments worldwideworldwide. The total cost of cleaning up this region alone exceeded $100 million USD. And the problem doesn't stop there. The average piece of satellite debris weighs around 2 kg, although this weight can vary greatly depending on the size and density of the object. This means that, according to NASA, approximately 500 000 pieces of dangerous space junk, including inactive satellites, remain in orbit around Earth. And these small chunks of metal can do a lot more than cut you: meteoroids/space debris travelling at high speeds pose a huge threat to orbiting spacecrafts. They can either collide with another object and tear it apart, or they may enter it and cause serious internal damage. This scenario played out all too real in 2009 when American Iridium 33 collided with a Russia's Kosmos 2251. The collision destroyed both satellites within seconds! And in 2007, China's Fengyun-1C satellite collided with a non-operational US satellite, creating thousands of pieces of debris. And this is where the problem lies - we can't track where the debris will go or when it will land. As mentioned earlier, when a satellite falls from space, it usually burns up in the atmosphere. This is because gravity pulls objects towards Earth and they're typically slowed down by air resistance (which decreases exponentially as they get closer to Earth). Space junk that makes it past this point may travel towards Earth and break apart when it hits the atmosphere (think meteors!) which creates additional particles that are a potential hazard to other satellites. In fact, since the beginning of time we've witnessed about 100 explosions per year caused by impacts with space debris and these numbers are only expected to rise over time. You might be wondering what happens when a satellite falls from space. Well, there are several consequences that come into play when an object reenters Earth's atmosphere - some good, some bad. For example, if a satellite breaks up before entering the atmosphere then this has very little effect on things below; however if it remains intact then more complications arise such as contamination of earthbound environments and harmful radiation exposure for living creatures. On the other hand, if a satellite crashes in the ocean or on uninhabited territory, it can help prevent these problems. And while satellites crashing to Earth is no rarity, experts are predicting that this weekend's event will be particularly difficult to predict due to the nature of this particular launch. The Long March 5 rocket is set to blast off Saturday morning and should place two large satellites in a Sun-synchronous orbit around Earth - which is something that's never been done before. The problem is that with no way of knowing how long it'll take the rocket's carrier vehicle to deorbit, there's no way of telling where it will fall back down once it enters Earth's atmosphere. However, there are some clues that may lead to more educated guesses. Satellite launches generally occur in the Northern Hemisphere - so it's safe to assume that it will land somewhere in North America or Europe. And given the rocket's trajectory, it seems likely that it will splash down somewhere on the Pacific Ocean - but this is far from certain. So if you're living anywhere near these regions, be sure to keep your eyes peeled this weekend. And if a satellite falls from space, don't forget to call 1800-555-0003 to report any sightings of debris as soon as possible!

The odds of you being hit by a falling satellite are low but not zero.

If you're worried about the odds of being hit by China's falling rocket this weekend, don't be. The chances are very low that you or anyone you know will be hit. However, it's not impossible. In 1997, a piece of Russia's Mir space station fell to Earth and killed a woman in her home in Lubbock, Texas. More recently, on February 10th, 2018 a tiny piece of an Iridium satellite fell on Puna'auia, Hawaii. That satellite was traveling at over 10 miles per second when it broke apart and collided with our planet's atmosphere. And it doesn't take much to cause catastrophic damage either: One kilogram (2.2 pounds) of mass could make impact with earth at 100km/s (62 miles per hour). NASA estimates the odds of any given person in the United States getting struck by meteorite as 1 in 700,000 which is almost equal to winning the Powerball jackpot three times consecutively. If I say 'one-in-a-million,' then that means there’s a chance, says Kevin Grazier, lead scientist for NASA’s Near Earth Object Program Office. We can’t rule anything out. The Chinese CZ-7 launch vehicle may fall back down to Earth anywhere from the Arctic Circle all the way down to Antarctica - including every spot in between. And while we don't yet know where it will land, its orbit is unlike other satellites that return to Earth because they usually burn up due to friction before they have a chance to reach us. To give you some perspective, China has only launched two CZ-7 rockets and both have failed. In the process of failing, one exploded into 33 pieces near French Guiana and another one got stuck in a polar orbit after launching from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center last December 5th. Another failed launch happened just this past October 15th with the Chang Zheng 7 (CZ-7) rocket carrying a Beidou navigation satellite also exploding less than 2 minutes after liftoff. For what it's worth, if anyone wants to be vigilant, we've mapped potential crash sites below. We can't rule anything out. The Chinese CZ-7 launch vehicle may fall back down to Earth anywhere from the Arctic Circle all the way down to Antarctica - including every spot in between. And while we don't yet know where it will land, its orbit is unlike other satellites that return to Earth because they usually burn up due to friction before they have a chance to reach us. To give you some perspective, China has only launched two CZ-7 rockets and both have failed. In the process of failing, one exploded into 33 pieces near French Guiana and another one got stuck in a polar orbit after launching from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center last December 5th. Another failed launch happened just this past October 15th with the Chang Zheng 7 (CZ-7) rocket carrying a Beidou navigation satellite also exploding less than 2 minutes after liftoff. For what it's worth, if anyone wants to be vigilant, we've mapped potential crash sites below. We can't rule anything out. The Chinese CZ-7 launch vehicle may fall back down to Earth anywhere from the Arctic Circle all the way down to Antarctica - including every spot in between. And while we don't yet know where it will land, its orbit is unlike other satellites that return to Earth because they usually burn up due to friction before they have a chance to reach us. To give you some perspective, China has only launched two CZ-7 rockets and both have failed. In the process of failing, one exploded into 33 pieces near French Guiana and another one got stuck in a polar orbit after launching from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center last December 5th. Another failed launch happened just this past October 15th with the Chang Zheng 7 (CZ-7) rocket carrying a Beidou navigation satellite also exploding less than 2 minutes after liftoff. For what it's worth, if anyone wants to be vigilant, we've mapped potential crash sites belowbelow. We can't rule anything out. The Chinese CZ-7 launch vehicle may fall back down to Earth anywhere from the Arctic Circle all the way down to Antarctica - including every spot in between. And while we don't yet know where it will land, its orbit is unlike other satellites that return to Earth because they usually burn up due to friction before they have a chance to reach us. To give you some perspective, China has only launched two CZ-7 rockets and both have failed. In the process of failing, one exploded into 33 pieces near French Guiana and another one got stuck in a polar orbit after launching from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center last December 5th.

What can I do?

While it may be tempting to stare up at the sky this weekend in the hopes of catching a glimpse of China's most powerful rocket as it falls back to Earth, it's important to remember that we don't yet know where it will land. The best thing you can do is stay informed and avoid any areas that may be in the path of the falling rocket. That being said, there's no need to panic; these types of things happen all the time and there are always plenty of warning signs before anything dangerous happens. Stay safe! This was an excerpt from an opinion piece written by JB, who has recently been published in US News and World Report. He wrote about how despite our knowledge that these rockets are built to fall back down to Earth, we still don't know exactly where they'll fall and what the fallout could look like for those living in those regions. To reiterate: there's no need to panic (and he even went on to say these types of things happen all the time), but please stay away from regions with potential fallout zones when possible so as not to risk your safety or your livelihoods. If you're interested in reading more, here's the link to his original post