So China launched something, its stuck in orbit but decaying, orbiting the earth every 90 minutes, and will descend at [we have no idea] and hit [something between New York and New Zealand]. https://spacenews.com/huge-rocket-looks-set-for-uncontrolled-reentry-following-chinese-space-station-launch/">https://spacenews.com/huge-rock...

Good luck to everyone playing in this inverse lottery. Which is almost all of us. Hope you don& #39;t win.

> "Since 1990 nothing over 10 tons has been deliberately left in orbit to reenter uncontrolled." The Long March 5B core stage, without its four side boosters, is thought to have a "dry mass", or when it is empty of propellent, of about 21 metric tons in mass.

> McDowell said he hoped China would have enhanced the core stage to perform a controlled deorbit after separating from Tianhe. "I think by current standards it’s unacceptable to let it reenter uncontrolled," McDowell said.

it& #39;s April but this might be understatement of the year

fellas is it distasteful and unsatisfactory to let 21 tons of debris fall from space onto... *gesture to the globe*?

I regret to inform you that the Philippines are north of New Zealand and south of New York. But you have a few days to get off the island and push it out of the danger zone, illustrated here.

https://twitter.com/Time2Mourn/status/1388161729830424578">https://twitter.com/Time2Mour...

The article mentions a reasonable rule-of-thumb is about 20-40% of the original dry mass. But things that fall from space are usually much smaller, so. https://twitter.com/NedumgottMoney/status/1388164849125974018">https://twitter.com/Nedumgott...