Debris from an out-of-control Chinese rocket is expected to crash into the Earth sometime this weekend. Though the risk is slim, it is possible parts of the rocket could hit populated areas—but experts won’t know where it will hit for several days yet. Here’s what you need to know:
- 发生了什么？A massive Chinese rocket called the Long March 5B is in the process of crashing down to Earth.
- What was the Long March 5B doing up in space?It was delivering the Wentian lab module to China’s personal space station, which is currently under construction.
- How big is the Long March 5B rocket?Accordingto Reuters,it’s a big one. And it’s China’s most powerful, too. The rocket’s main core stage, which is the part that is hurtling back toward Earth as you read this, is 100 feet long and weighs a massive 22 tons (about 44,000 pounds).
- Why is it falling to Earth?这是火箭7月24日发布的太空碎片。地球的重力已锁定在那个碎片上，并将其拉回家。
- 地球的大气会不会在重新进入火箭上燃烧吗？It will help break it up, but the rocket is so large that parts of it will make it through.
- Where will the Long March 5B rocket land?That’s the thing—no one knows yet, and we won’t until the rocket gets closer to crashing into the planet. But experts believe the rocket will come down in parts and land over an area that is 1,240 miles by 44 miles wide. Yet they won’t know where until just hours before it hits.
- What are the odds of someone being hit by the falling rocket?比专家想要的要高。路透社说，赔率介于1,000和230中。国际接受的风险阈值通常为10,000。
- What are the odds ofme被坠落的火箭击中吗？尽管地球上一个人被坠落的火箭击中的几率高达230，但阅读这件被火箭击中的几率在10万亿分之六。
- Still, I’m worried. How can I track the rocket?The Aerospace Corporation has a page dedicated totracking the falling rocket here. Currently, its latest prediction is the rocket will hit sometime on July 31, 2022, at 00:24 UTC ± 16 hours. You can also track the rocket’s fall by following the@SpaceTrackOrg Twitter account, or on the主页太空轨道网站。
@US_SpaceComand@18thSDSare tracking the location of#LongMarch5B(#CZ5B) rocket stage. No one can pinpoint the exact re-entry point into the Earth’s atmosphere until within hours or minutes of its reentry, so time and latitude/longitude estimates may vary substantially
— Space-Track (@SpaceTrackOrg)2022年7月27日
Our latest prediction for#CZ5Brocket body reentry is:
????31 Jul 2022 00:24 UTC ± 16 hours
再入将沿着此处显示的地面轨道之一。确定有意义的碎片足迹还为时过早。关注此页面以获取更新： https://t.co/SxrMtcJnj0pic.twitter.com/CZRQBClOAg— The Aerospace Corporation (@AerospaceCorp)July 28, 2022