The Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques has taken this hot picture of the Russian Mars 13.2-tonne probe Phobos-Grunt as it falls to planet Earth. It may hit tomorrow, but we still don’t know where.
According to the latest tracking data and calculations, re-entry is expected from tomorrow to Tuesday. Phobos-Grunt is now orbiting Earth 16 times a day. Scientists don’t know where the impact site is going to be, but it lies “somewhere between the 51st north latitude and the 51st latitude south.”
They would only be able to pinpoint the area “a few hours before the actual crash.”
The spacecraft carries 11 tonnes of lethal dimethylhydrazine and dinitrogen tetroxide fuel. There’s no reason to panic about this, according to the head of the department for space observation Dr. Ludger Leushacke: while the dimethylhydrazine is highly toxic, it’s also highly flammable, so we can assume it will burn entirely on re-entry.
But while the fuel will likely burn, there are parts that will not be destroyed and will collide with our planet’s surface. So yes, some piece of this thing may still smash into your roof. [FHR (In German)]