Out-of-control Chinese space station set to crash land on earth

Space experts predict the Tiangong-1 space station, or “Heavenly Palace”, will turn into a spectacular fireball as it enters Earth’s atmosphere sometime during the Easter long weekend.

According to the latest predictions, it will begin its fiery descent into Earth’s atmosphere somewhere in a window between 30 March and 3 April – possibly around 1 April.

But there are concerns the bus-sized spacecraft is out of control.

That means some debris from the fireball could hit the Earth anywhere in a band between 43 degrees north and south of the equator.

Read also: NASA spots strange gigantic formation on Mars

But you would have to be extremely unlucky to be taken out by a chunk of debris from Tiangong-1, according to space engineer Warwick Holmes, executive director of space engineering at the University of Sydney’s School of Aerospace.

For a start, he said, 70 percent of the world was covered by ocean, and large parts of Australia were sparsely populated.

“Everyone thinks they’re going to get hit by the Chinese space station. I promise you it’s just not going to happen,” Mr Holmes said.

“You’ve got a greater probability of getting hit by a car crossing a Sydney road today than you’re going to get hit by the Chinese space station.

“But you may get to wave it goodbye as it streaks across the sky.”

 

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