A piece of a Chinese rocket, which will enter the Earth's atmosphere uncontrollably and will fall on an unknown - until now - point of the planet, is being watched by the US Pentagon.
Scientists from the US Army space agency will be able to locate the exact point from which the rocket will enter the atmosphere just a few hours before its re-entry, as announced.
The rocket, which China launched on April 29, is expected to hit the ground around May 8, but its exact orbit is still uncertain.
As Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell told CNN, the rocket travels at a speed of 18.000 miles per hour, which means that even a tiny change in its orbit could significantly change its course.
Based on its current orbit, debris could fall from the heights of New York, Madrid or Beijing in the north to Chile and New Zealand in the south.
Most of the rocket is expected to burn when it re-enters the atmosphere, but scientists are worried that some pieces may fall to Earth.
And while these pieces could hit a residential area, it is very likely that this will not happen, as the oceans cover most of the earth's surface, and from the land, very large pieces are uninhabited.
The last time a similar Chinese rocket returned to Earth's atmosphere, debris is said to have hit buildings in two Ivory Coast villages.
McDowell told Space News that it was "unacceptable" to allow debris to enter the Earth's atmosphere uncontrollably. "Since 1990, nothing weighing more than 10 tonnes has been deliberately left on an uncontrolled entry track," he explained. The main part of this rocket is believed to weigh about 21 tons.
Responding to a question, the White House spokeswoman said the United States was "determined to address the dangers of growing congestion due to space debris."
Source: Business Insider