Keep an eye out on the skies overhead for the next day or so, because Ireland is in danger of being hit with parts of a falling spacecraft. Seriously.
Although the chances of Ireland being affected remain slim, there is a slight chance that parts of a failed Russian space probe could hit Irish soil, just as they could hit pretty much anywhere between here and the lower reaches of South America.
According to the website irishcentral.com, a Russian vessel known as the Phobos-Ground spacecraft became stuck in the Earth’s orbit following its launch in November after its engines failed to fire, and it has been circling lower and lower ever since.
The spacecraft, which cost in excess of £100 million and weighs upwards of 14 tonnes, was launched with the purpose of obtaining soil samples from the Mars moon Phobos, but is now set to crash back to earth in the not too distant future, although it could take longer to surface due to external factors.
The Department of Foreign Affairs were informed by the Russian embassy in Dublin on Saturday that the spacecraft will fall somewhere between Argentina and Ireland, two fairly obscure points of reference, but at least we know that we have to be prepared.
Between 20 and 30 fragments of the Phobos probe, with a total weight of up to 440lbs, are expected to survive the re-entry and plummet to Earth, but all of the probe’s 12 tonnes of rocket fuel are expected to burn up in the atmosphere.
Hundreds and thousands of pieces of debris from spacecraft orbit Earth all the time, but so far there has been no reported case of anyone being hurt from fallen objects from outer space.
To be absolutely safe from harm, however, it might be best to have the umbrella handy just in case.
