****NHK****

US satellite likely to have fallen into Pacific

The US space agency NASA announced on Saturday that most of the debris of its satellite is likely to have fallen into the Pacific Ocean away from the US West Coast.

The falling satellite re-entered the atmosphere sometime between 3:23 and 5:09 UTC on Saturday.

NASA had earlier estimated that 26 pieces of debris weighing between one kilogram and 160 kilograms may hit the earth. Most of the satellite was predicted to burn up in the atmosphere.

According to data analyzed by NASA and the US Air Force, it is very unlikely that anyone was hit by the debris.

This is the first time in 32 years that a NASA satellite weighing more than 6 tons has fallen uncontrolled.

NASA continues to collect information but says it is difficult to pinpoint where the debris, and how much of it, fell to earth.

Sunday, September 25, 2011 11:04 +0900 (JST)