[meteorite-list] Space junk - marine life - shame on NASA

[Greg Catterton]

It is the first thing I was aware of, until reading more about it.
I know what ifs are really meaningless, however... if it had landed on a school full of kids, Im sure the cost of returning to earth would have been very cheap compared to the loss of life.
If it had impacted on a house or other private property, would NASA have been liable?

The replies about this have been really good and informative, Thanks to all for your input.

Greg


--- On Mon, 11/3/08, Chris Peterson <clp at alumni.caltech.edu> wrote:


> From: Chris Peterson <clp at alumni.caltech.edu>

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Space junk - marine life - shame on NASA

> To: "Greg Hupe" <gmhupe at htn.net>

> Cc: meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com

> Date: Monday, November 3, 2008, 2:23 PM

> Hi Greg-

> 

> This thing was, in fact, deliberately discarded with the

> knowledge that it 

> would reenter. It posed no risk to anything else because it

> was large enough 

> to track, in a known orbit, and was sure to have a short

> lifetime in space. 

> It had no potential to produce any additional debris.

> 

> This isn't the first thing they scuttled from the ISS.

> 

> Chris

> 

> *****************************************

> Chris L Peterson

> Cloudbait Observatory

> http://www.cloudbait.com

> 

> 

> ----- Original Message ----- 

> From: "Greg Hupe" <gmhupe at htn.net>

> To: <star_wars_collector at yahoo.com>

> Cc: <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>

> Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 12:10 PM

> Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Space junk - marine life -

> shame on NASA

> 

> 

> > Hello Greg,

> >

> > Where do you read that an astronaut, "..threw it

> (ammonia tank) overboard 

> > (from the International Space Station) during a space

> walk in July 2007."? 

> > I find it highly unlikely that material would be

> purposely tossed into 

> > space to potentially be a floating target for future

> spacecraft and/or 

> > satellites to hit. I do not think NASA has the same

> mindset that some 

> > cruise ship operators have by throwing their bags of

> trash into the ocean.

> >

> > My thoughts!

> > Greg

> 

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