Monitor Plunging Satellite with Android App

The Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite in 1991. CREDIT: NASA View full size image

If you're worried about debris falling from the now-defunct satellite headed toward the Earth tomorrow afternoon, there's an app that will help you keep track of its descending trajectory.

Although NASA said its Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) is not expected to land near North America – and there's only a one in 20 trillion risk that a piece from the satellite could actually hit you anyway – Android users can monitor its orbit toward Earth through an existing app that displays the positions of satellites in the sky.

A new and temporary button has been added to the Satellite AR app that will keep people up to date with tracking the rogue device.

NASA is also keeping people updated with its location estimates on its UARS Update Page.

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Video

Where Could UARS Satellite Debris Fall?

This animation shows the orbit that the doomed satellite is on and the corresponding 2-D ground track. It illustrates where on Earth debris could fall - which is practically all inhabited areas - when it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere.