NASA warns of falling a large satellite to Earth - Re-entry is expected between 11:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, and 12:45 a.m., Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time (3:45 a.m. to 4:45 a.m. GMT)

[Tonka]

http://www.abc.es/20110912/ciencia/a...109121117.html
Spanish to English translation

NASA warns of falling a large satellite to Earth

Most of the equipment will be a thousand pieces in the atmosphere, but there is a risk that some components impact somewhere yet to be determined
ABC / MADRID
Day 12/09/2011 - 1:54 p.m.


NASA report on the risk of impact of UARS
The satellite UARS (Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite) NASA's probe about 6.5 tons, will precipitate out of control with the Earth in late September or early October, nearly six years after it is terminated his scientific life. The U.S. space agency has warned that, although most of the ship will break into pieces during its entry into Earth's atmosphere, not the entire team burst into the atmosphere and there is a risk, although this is minimal, that some pieces strike the Earth's surface. At the moment, it is unknown exactly where they will fall.

The satellite UARS was launched in 1991 from the shuttle Discovery to investigate the boundaries between space and our atmosphere and collect data on the damage caused to the ozone layer. The mission, with ten instruments on board, lasted for fifteen years, but 2005 ended and the satellite began slowly falling toward Earth.

NASA says the risk to the safety of people and property is "extremely small" and said that since the beginning of the Space Age in the late 50's, there are no reports of personal injury caused by space objects in your reentry to Earth. The disintegration will suffer when passing our atmosphere, the UARS should not cause a big accident in case of reaching a populated area. Chances are that it is sprayed. However, NASA does not rule out that some components can withstand the heat and impact against the surface. But where?

"If found, do not touch"
The agency recognizes that, for now, is not able to determine in what geographical area will produce the fall of the satellite, because its direction is constantly changing due to the resistance caused by solar radiation. NASA is following his path and provide information updated on its website, especially in the days before the fall.

A few days ago, the orbit of the satellite was located at an angle of 57 degrees. Any component that survives the fall atmosphere in an area between 57 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees latitude south of Ecuador , but it is impossible to pinpoint an exact location. The remains can be scattered over 500 miles.

If some components reaching impact, the agency launched a message of concern. " If you find something you think may be a piece of UARS, do not touch. Contact local authority for help. " Already know.

[Tonka]

http://www.cinemablend.com/pop/NASA-...ing-35003.html

NASA Says Satellite Falling To Earth, Doesn't Know Where It's Landing
Author: Allison M. Dicksonpublished: 2011-09-12 07:00:34

If you look up in the sky sometime in late September or early October and wonder whether the flaming ball you see is a bird or a plane, it's neither. It's just the UARS, or the Upper-Atmosphere Research Satellite, falling back to earth after a 14-year voyage. The only problem is trying to pointpoint where exactly the schoolbus-sized piece of space junk will land. NASA and military officials say the impact point is currently projected to be somewhere between northern Canada and southern South America, and the path of debris will be about 500-miles long....more from the source.

[Pathfinder]

UARS Artist Concept

This conceptual image shows the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, launched on Sept. 15, 1991, by the space shuttle Discovery. Originally designed for a three-year mission, UARS measured chemical compounds found in the ozone layer, wind and temperature in the stratosphere, as well as the energy input from the sun. Together, these measurements helped define the role of Earth's upper atmosphere in climate and climate variability. The 35-foot-long, 15-foot-diameter UARS was decommissioned on Dec. 14, 2005.

Credit: NASA

> UARS Legacy Website
----------------------------------------------------------------------

UARS Updates


Update #1

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:29:31 AM CDT

As of Sept. 12, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 145 mi by 165 mi (235 km by 265 km). Re-entry is expected during the last week of September.


UARS Re-Entry Overview

NASA's Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, is expected to re-enter Earth's atmosphere in late September or early October 2011, almost six years after the end of a productive scientific life. Although the spacecraft will break into pieces during re-entry, not all of it will burn up in the atmosphere.

The risk to public safety or property is extremely small, and safety is NASA's top priority. Since the beginning of the Space Age in the late-1950s, there have been no confirmed reports of an injury resulting from re-entering space objects. Nor is there a record of significant property damage resulting from a satellite re-entry

It is too early to say exactly when UARS will re-enter and what geographic area may be affected, but NASA is watching the satellite closely and will keep you informed. Visit this page for updates on the satellite's orbital track and predicted re-entry date.

› Re-Entry and Risk Assessment (498 KB PDF)
› Frequently Asked Questions: Orbital Debris

NASA will post updates weekly until four days before the anticipated re-entry, then daily until about 24 hours before re-entry, and then at about 12 hours, six hours and two hours before re-entry. The updates will come from the Joint Space Operations Center of U.S. Strategic Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., which works around the clock detecting, identifying and tracking all man-made objects in Earth orbit, including space junk.

The actual date of re-entry is difficult to predict because it depends on solar flux and the spacecraft's orientation as its orbit decays. As re-entry draws closer, predictions on the date will become more reliable.

As of Sept. 8, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 152 miles by 171 miles (245 km by 275 km) with an inclination of 57 degrees. Because the satellite's orbit is inclined 57 degrees to the equator, any surviving components of UARS will land within a zone between 57 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees south latitude. It is impossible to pinpoint just where in that zone the debris will land, but NASA estimates the debris footprint will be about 500 miles long.

If you find something you think may be a piece of UARS, do not touch it. Contact a local law enforcement official for assistance.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

[Tonka]

http://www.dawn.com/2011/09/18/nasa-...in-a-week.html


Last updated: 28 mins ago


Satellite pieces to hit Earth in a week
AP (3 hours ago) Today
The seven-ton Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is deployed by the Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-48) in this NASA handout photo dated September 1991. – Reuters Photo


WASHINGTON: US space officials say they expect a dead satellite to fall to Earth in about a week.

NASA has been watching the 6-ton (5.4-metric ton) satellite closely. On Friday officials moved up their prediction for its arrival to Sept. 23, give or take a day...more from the source

[Pathfinder]

UARS Updates

• Update #3
  
  Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:12:40 PM CDT
  
  As of Sept. 16, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 140 mi by 155 mi (225 km by 250 km). Re-entry is expected Sept. 23, plus or minus a day. The re-entry of UARS is advancing because of a sharp increase in solar activity since the beginning of this week.
  

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

[makoto]

ok ok, i will catch it in Japan
heavens-above.com http://www.heavens-above.com/gtrack....ST&satid=21701
Japan Standard Time http://www3.nict.go.jp/cgi-bin/JST_E.pl

[Emily]

Hopefully that line will have moved over by the 23rd, Makoto.

NASA seems to have just started thinking about 'disposal':

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2011/...ds-back-earth/

“As we progress forward with future programs, we should keep in mind that in systems engineering the definition of a System Life Cycle includes not just deployment and operation but also retirement and disposal,” a presentation from the meeting (available on L2) noted.

The article mentions nuclear debris that has been scattered about by the US and Russian space programs - some on land in Canada.

[Sally Furniss]

UARS - Visible Passes. http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSum...px?satid=21701

Click on the date to access the Visible Pass Details That will give you a sky chart .

Then click on the Ground track for a view of the ground track during the pass, centred on your location.

[Emily]

http://spaceweather.com/archive.php?...h=09&year=2011

The disintegration is expected to produce a fireball that could be visible even in broad daylight.

On Sept. 15th, astrophotographer Theirry Legault video-recorded the doomed satellite during one of its last passes over France:

"The satellite appears to be tumbling, perhaps because a collision with satellite debris a few years ago," notes Legault. "The variations in brightness are rapid and easily visible to the human eye." (Other observers have reported UARS flashes almost as bright as Venus.)

[Pathfinder]

Originally Posted by Sally Furniss

UARS - Visible Passes. http://www.heavens-above.com/PassSum...px?satid=21701

Click on the date to access the Visible Pass Details That will give you a sky chart .

Then click on the Ground track for a view of the ground track during the pass, centred on your location.

The new track would now skirt Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin

The highlighted circle is the region where the satellite is at least 10° above your horizon. The size of the circle depends on the height of the satellite. Solid part of orbit shows where the satellite is sunlit, and the dashed

Map of West Africa
http://www.solarnavigator.net/geography/west_africa.htm

[Pathfinder]

Update #7

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:35:54 PM CDT

As of 1:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 21, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 120 mi by 130 mi (190 km by 205 km). Re-entry is expected sometime during the afternoon of Sept. 23, Eastern Daylight Time. The satellite will not be passing over North America during that time period. It is still too early to predict the time and location of re-entry with any more certainty, but predictions will become more refined in the next 24 to 48 hours.

...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

[Pathfinder]

Update #8

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 06:44:51 AM CDT


As of 7 a.m. EDT Sept. 22, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 115 mi by 120 mi (185 km by 195 km). Re-entry is expected sometime during the afternoon of Sept. 23, Eastern Daylight Time. The satellite will not be passing over North America during that time period. It is still too early to predict the time and location of re-entry with any more certainty, but predictions will become more refined in the next 24 to 36 hours.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

[Sally Furniss]

Originally Posted by Emily

There are also a series of stills showing the satellite tumbling

[Pathfinder]

Military Tracks Errant Satellite for NASA

By Terri Moon Cronk
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 22, 2011 – As a 6.5-ton NASA satellite makes its way back to Earth later this week, an Air Force space operations team in California is tracking its every move to predict when -- and possibly where -- it will re-enter the atmosphere.

The Joint Space Operations Center, part of the Joint Functional Component Command for Space at Vandenberg Air Force Base, is responsible for tracking the 22,000 objects -- mostly space junk -- that orbit Earth. The center, which reports to U.S. Strategic Command, also maintains “space situational awareness” in support of national security, said Jeremy Eggers, public affairs director for the operations center.

As part of that mission, the center is gathering tracking data to help NASA officials analyze the satellite and its movements. NASA launched the upper-atmosphere research satellite in the early 1990s, but decommissioned it in 2005.

The projected re-entry is tomorrow afternoon, but many factors can affect the actual time, Eggers said. For example, a solar storm altered the first projected re-entry date, Sept. 26.

“The operations center has a lot of sensors looking at the …satellite,” he said. “As it re-enters the Earth’s atmosphere, the data will become more and more refined.”

If the satellite doesn’t incinerate when it enters Earth’s atmosphere, NASA officials expect to see 25 or 26 pieces of debris from the craft. The biggest piece is estimated to weigh 300 pounds.

No model exists to analyze or predict where the debris will fall, because there’s no way to predict how the object will break up upon re-entry, Eggers said.

So to get the best possible assessment, the Joint Space Operations Center started issuing reports to NASA four days before the expected re-entry, reporting more regularly as the satellite gets closer to Earth.

“The center will advise NASA when the satellite is two hours out from re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere, give or take 15 minutes,” said Air Force Maj. Michael Duncan, deputy chief of space situational awareness at the center.

“That 15 minutes,” he added, “could mean the difference of 7,000 miles [in distance] and where it penetrates the Earth’s atmosphere.”

As of yesterday, Duncan said, the satellite was orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes at more than 17,000 miles per hour. It was hovering “at 120 miles away, and dropping,” he said.

Satellites re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere routinely, Duncan said, but this craft garnered worldwide attention because it’s described as the size of a bus.

“Something of this size happens about once every year,” he said. “But about once a week we have an object that’s usually a rocket body or something larger that’s re-entering the Earth.”

It’s highly unlikely that the satellite will cause personal injury, Eggers said.

“It’s important to note that 70 percent of the Earth is covered with water, and of the land on Earth, only about 70 percent of that is inhabited,” he said. He noted that in 50 years of the U.S. space program, there is no documentation of debris falling from space striking anyone or causing any significant damage.

After the re-entry is complete, the operations center will continue its mission of tracking and observing the 22,000 objects in space, Eggers said. “The space situational awareness plays an important role in protecting U.S. space-based assets,” he said.

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=65429

[Sally Furniss]

..........Using the most recent determination of UARS' orbit - taken in the early hours of this morning - Dr Eves and a colleague have come up with their own projections of the satellite's final descent. But he explained that a spacecraft's orbit lifetime could only be estimated to about 10% accuracy.

This translates to a six-hour window either side of the expected decay which, based on a range of probabilities, would see the spacecraft splash down in the Southern Ocean.

But given the 10% accuracy figure, and the fact that UARS takes about one-and-a-half hours to complete an orbit of Earth, the satellite could come down during one of four possible orbits of Earth on Friday evening/Saturday morning.

And a number of different estimates could be produced depending what software is used to model the satellite's decay, Dr Eves explained.

Satellite decays can be affected by a number of different factors, such as the shape of the satellite and its unpredictable tumbling, as well as heating of the Earth's atmosphere by ultraviolet radiation from the Sun. .......
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15021323

[Tonka]

???

http://america.infobae.com/notas/341...ostas-de-Chile
Spanish to English translation

09.22.11 | SOCIETY
The UARS satellite will fall on the coast of Chile


Reports indicate that the device, the size of a bus, will impact the local 19 hours in the South Pacific, against the Andean country. The place and exact time of the collision may be determined minutes before. Video


The private firm that follows the route of the UARS satellite, Aerospace Corporation, explained more specifically the impact would be along the coast of Chile, around 7 pm on Friday. However, the head of the company explained that determining the exact time and place is something that is not yet able to predict and know that as you get closer to the ground.

NASA had reported that the risk of damage is "extremely small", but the phenomenon creates a certain nervousness is felt in the region. The space agency took care to explain that found at an altitude of 115 miles, the atmosphere would probably reach about 17 thousand miles per hour, which to some extent simulate the fall of a rock would find enough obstacles to be stopped.

This satellite is the largest NASA has fallen to earth in an uncontrolled manner from Skylab in 1979.

The half-ton of scrap has scaring people , but thanks to a company specializing in software development for U.S. national security, Analytical Graphics (AGI), you can follow live the path of the satellite.

The video released by AGI shows the path that should have when it loses the satellite orbit.

In addition, only a couple of hours before you can know more accurately the impact site where the remains , so the U.S. space agency will provide updated information through your website and your Twitter account.

Remember that the satellite of the Upper Atmosphere Research, UARS, for its acronym in English, weighs about 6 tons and was launched into orbit in 1991 by the shuttle Discovery to explore the upper atmosphere and measurements of the ozone layer.

[makoto]

Aerospace http://reentrynews.aero.org/1991063b.html
mext http://www.facebook.com/mextjapan
heavens-above http://www.heavens-above.com/?lat=36...lt=16&tz=JapST
Japan Standard Time http://www3.nict.go.jp/cgi-bin/JST_E.pl

[Pathfinder]

Update #10

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:45:08 AM CDT


As of 10:30 a.m. EDT on Sept. 23, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 100 miles by 105 miles (160 km by 170 km). Re-entry is expected late Friday, Sept. 23, or early Saturday, Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time. Solar activity is no longer the major factor in the satellite’s rate of descent. The satellite’s orientation or configuration apparently has changed, and that is now slowing its descent. There is a low probability any debris that survives re-entry will land in the United States, but the possibility cannot be discounted because of this changing rate of descent. It is still too early to predict the time and location of re-entry with any certainty, but predictions will become more refined in the next 12 to 18 hours.
...
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

[Emily]

Here's a website for another group monitoring the UARS path. They look credible. (I was interested to see that former astronaut Sally K. Ride is on their Board of Trustees.)

Center for Orbital and Reentry Debris Studies

There is a legend under the path map that explains everything.

[Pathfinder]

Update #11

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 06:30:46 PM CDT


As of 7 p.m. EDT on Sept. 23, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 90 miles by 95 miles (145 km by 150 km). Re-entry is expected between 11 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, and 3 a.m., Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time (3 a.m. to 7 a.m. GMT). During that time period, the satellite will be passing over Canada, Africa and Australia, as well as vast areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The risk to public safety is very remote.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

[Pathfinder]

Update #12

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 09:50:07 PM CDT


As of 10:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 23, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 85 miles by 90 miles (135 km by 140 km). Re-entry is expected between 11:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, and 12:45 a.m., Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time (3:45 a.m. to 4:45 a.m. GMT). During that time period, the satellite will be passing over Canada and Africa, as well as vast areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The risk to public safety is very remote.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

[Pathfinder]

@NASA NASA

It's possible that #UARS is down by now. (Everybody OK out there?) We're waiting for confirmation from US Strategic Command.

22 minutes ago

http://twitter.com/#!/NASA/status/117456509104947200

[makoto]

realtime satellite tracker http://mada.la.coocan.jp/sat/index.htm english or japanese


UARS NASA SATELLITE 3D Tracking http://www.ustream.tv/channel/theweatherspace-news


http://twitter.com/#!/IamUARS
http://twitter.com/#!/IamUARS/status/117466360531005441

[Pathfinder]

Update #13

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:55:17 PM CDT


As of 10:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 23, 2011, the orbit of UARS was 85 miles by 90 miles (135 km by 140 km). Re-entry was expected between 11:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, and 12:45 a.m., Sept. 24, Eastern Daylight Time (3:45 a.m. to 4:45 a.m. GMT). During that time period, the satellite was passing over Canada and Africa, as well as vast areas of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. The risk to public safety was very remote. NASA is working to confirm the re-entry location and time and will provide an update shortly.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

[Emily]

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/...20110732.shtml

September 23, 2011 11:48 AM

NASA gives 1-hour window for falling satellite
[snip]
The United States isn't entirely out of the woods; the possible strike zone skirted Washington state."

Earlier, it was reported that the satellite clung to space Friday, apparently flipping position in its ever-lower orbit and stalling its death plunge.

"It just doesn't want to come down," said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

McDowell said the satellite's delayed demise demonstrates how unreliable predictions can be. That said, "the best guess is that it will still splash in the ocean, just because there's more ocean out there."....

[Sally Furniss]

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 04:55:17 PM GMT+1200 "We expect that the debris has landed by now. We're just waiting to get confirmation of where from the U.S. Strategic Command that keeps an eye on space debris."

[Pathfinder]

Update #16

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 10:37:25 AM CDT

NASA’s decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite fell back to Earth between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 23 and 1:09 a.m. EDT Sept. 24. The Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California said the satellite entered the atmosphere over the North Pacific Ocean, off the west coast of the United States. The precise re-entry time and location of any debris impacts are still being determined. NASA is not aware of any reports of injury or property damage.

This is your source for official information on the re-entry of UARS. All information posted here has been verified with a government agency or law enforcement.

NASA will conduct a media telecon at 2 p.m. ET to discuss the re-entry. The telecon will be streamed live at www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

[Pathfinder]

UARS Re-Entry Overview

• NASA's UARS Re-enters Earth's Atmosphere
  
  NASA’s decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) fell back to Earth between 11:23 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 23 and 1:09 a.m. Sept. 24, 20 years and nine days after its launch on a 14-year mission that produced some of the first long-term records of chemicals in the atmosphere.
  
  The precise re-entry time and location of debris impacts have not been determined. During the re-entry period, the satellite passed from the east coast of Africa over the Indian Ocean, then the Pacific Ocean, then across northern Canada, then across the northern Atlantic Ocean, to a point over West Africa. The vast majority of the orbital transit was over water, with some flight over northern Canada and West Africa.
  
  Six years after the end of its productive scientific life, UARS broke into pieces during re-entry, and most of it up burned in the atmosphere. Data indicates the satellite likely broke apart and landed in the Pacific Ocean far off the U.S. coast. Twenty-six satellite components, weighing a total of about 1,200 pounds, could have survived the fiery re-entry and reach the surface of Earth. However, NASA is not aware of any reports of injury or property damage.
  
  The Operations Center for JFCC-Space, the Joint Functional Component Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., which works around the clock detecting, identifying and tracking all man-made objects in Earth orbit, tracked the movements of UARS through the satellite’s final orbits and provided confirmation of re-entry.
  
  “We extend our appreciation to the Joint Space Operations Center for monitoring UARS not only this past week but also throughout its entire 20 years on orbit,” said Nick Johnson, NASA’s chief scientist for orbital debris, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “This was not an easy re-entry to predict because of the natural forces acting on the satellite as its orbit decayed. Space-faring nations around the world also were monitoring the satellite’s descent in the last two hours and all the predictions were well within the range estimated by JSpOC.”
  
  UARS was launched Sept. 12, 1991, aboard space shuttle mission STS-48 and deployed on Sept. 15, 1991. It was the first multi-instrumented satellite to observe numerous chemical components of the atmosphere for better understanding of photochemistry. UARS data marked the beginning of many long-term records for key chemicals in the atmosphere. The satellite also provided key data on the amount of light that comes from the sun at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths. UARS ceased its scientific life in 2005.
  
  Because of the satellite's orbit, any surviving components of UARS should have landed within a zone between 57 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees south latitude. It is impossible to pinpoint just where in that zone the debris landed, but NASA estimates the debris footprint to be about 500 miles long.
  
  Additional resources:
  
  › NASA News Release, Sept. 24, 2011
  › UARS Final Groundtrack (473 KB PDF)
  › Re-Entry and Risk Assessment (498 KB PDF)
  › Frequently Asked Questions: Orbital Debris
  
  If you find something you think may be a piece of UARS, do not touch it. Contact a local law enforcement official for assistance.
  
  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html
  
  

[Emily]

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/uars/index.html

Final Update: NASA's UARS Re-enters Earth's Atmosphere

NASA’s decommissioned Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite fell back to Earth at 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT), as Friday, Sept. 23, turned to Saturday, Sept. 24 on the United States east coast. The Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California has determined the satellite entered the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean at 14.1 degrees south latitude and 189.8 degrees east longitude (170.2 west longitude). This location is over a broad, remote ocean area in the Southern Hemisphere, far from any major land mass. The debris field is located between 300 miles and 800 miles downrange, or generally northeast of the re-entry point. NASA is not aware of any possible debris sightings from this geographic area.

This is your source for official information on the re-entry of UARS. All information posted here has been verified with a government or law enforcement agency. This is NASA's final status report on the re-entry of UARS....

[Sally Furniss]

A six-ton satellite raced along New Zealand's west coast and crossed just north of Auckland in its death dive on Saturday, a Nasa map reveals.

It would have been plunging through New Zealand skies at around 5pm on Saturday.

Bits of it could have showered down on another part of New Zealand – Tokelau in the South Pacific.

more http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/loca...y-hit-Auckland