Track GOCE in orbit

Discussion: 10 comments

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  David DeMambro Posted on 8 November 2013 at 02:03

  great story Ihope to see it reenter that would be a sight
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  Jan Stromback Posted on 8 November 2013 at 22:20

  Is the altitude in the widget above the actual altitude or the otherwise normal predicted altitude with a normal orbit?
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    Daniel Posted on 8 November 2013 at 22:36

    Hi Jan: The widget shows the (actual) altitude as detected by the USStratcom tracking radars; it lags by roughly half a day (i.e. it’s not real time) – but it’s reasonably accurate and will be valid until the altitude starts to drop rapidly. It’s meant to give an approximate visualisation only… Cheers!
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  Tony Posted on 9 November 2013 at 07:51

  Is the red line supposed to represent the path that it makes all the time?

  Then most of us clearly have nothing to worry about.
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    Larry Mennemeier Posted on 10 November 2013 at 21:12

    It goes from pole to pole so it could hit anywhere as the Earth spins beneath it. I don’t know if it is headed North or South right now.
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      Rahere Posted on 10 November 2013 at 23:35

      2116GMT over Troll with a 1h26m return means it’ll be over the Northern Hemisphere for about 40 mins between 2135 and 2215, then between 2255 and 2335, and if it hasn’t reentered, 0015 and reentry.
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  CharlieSeattle Posted on 9 November 2013 at 17:52

  The craft and Ion engine should have been docked at the space station for future use.
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  Jenna Posted on 10 November 2013 at 05:05

  Hey Daniel, i just have a question about airtraffic and the satelite. I think it’s so scary to think of something that will crash into the earth. Is the satelite any threat to aircrafts that fly around in the world? Would it be a system that will give information so nobody get injured? Will the pieces that don’t burn up still follow the orbit?
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  Dena Daryabeigi Posted on 10 November 2013 at 10:45

  I hope it doesn’t splatter anyone, myself included. Seems w all the technology we have, we’d have figured out a better way to manage them when they’re “out of fuel”. Why is it even coming back to Earth? I thought it’d just float away endlessly to Infiniti and beyond. Earths gravitational pull?
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  jostdom Posted on 10 November 2013 at 23:27

  Are any aeroplanes able to hit by the satelite?
  Any oilplatforms or boats in dangerous position to be hit an destroyed?