<p>According to the German Aerospace Centre, the 2.7-tonne Roentgen Satellite, or ROSAT, slammed into Earth's atmosphere sometime between 01:45 GMT (6:15 IST) and 02:15 GMT (6:45 IST) on Sunday, but scientists are yet to confirm where exactly the doomed satellite fell on Earth.<br /><br />"There is currently no confirmation if pieces of debris have reached Earth's surface," German aerospace officials were quoted as saying by Space.com.<br /><br />Scientists were no longer able to communicate with the dead satellite and it must have travelled some 20,000km in the final 30 minutes before entering the atmosphere, they said.<br /><br />While the 21-year-old satellite broke apart as it entered Earth's atmosphere, the officials said that up to 30 pieces weighing 1.9 tonnes, consisting some of its heat-resistant mirrors and ceramic parts, could have survived the fiery trip and reached the surface of the planet.<br /><br />Based on ROSAT's orbital path, these fragments could be scattered along a swath of the planet about 80 km wide, the officials have said.<br /><br />The satellite, which weighs 2,426 kg, was launched into orbit in 1990 to study X-ray radiation from stars, comets, supernovas, nebulas and black holes, among other things.<br />It was originally designed for an 18-month mission, but it far outlived its projected lifespan. In 1998, its star tracker failed, forcing its X-ray sensors to pointed directly at the sun. This caused irreparable damage to the satellite, and it was officially decommissioned in February 1999.<br /><br />ROSAT was the second satellite to fall uncontrolled from space within a month. On September 24, a 6.5-tonne, NASA climate satellite, called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), plummeted into the Pacific Ocean.<br /><br />The event sparked a media frenzy around the world, and some pranksters even seized the opportunity to create hoax videos and images of the satellite's fall</p>
<p>According to the German Aerospace Centre, the 2.7-tonne Roentgen Satellite, or ROSAT, slammed into Earth's atmosphere sometime between 01:45 GMT (6:15 IST) and 02:15 GMT (6:45 IST) on Sunday, but scientists are yet to confirm where exactly the doomed satellite fell on Earth.<br /><br />"There is currently no confirmation if pieces of debris have reached Earth's surface," German aerospace officials were quoted as saying by Space.com.<br /><br />Scientists were no longer able to communicate with the dead satellite and it must have travelled some 20,000km in the final 30 minutes before entering the atmosphere, they said.<br /><br />While the 21-year-old satellite broke apart as it entered Earth's atmosphere, the officials said that up to 30 pieces weighing 1.9 tonnes, consisting some of its heat-resistant mirrors and ceramic parts, could have survived the fiery trip and reached the surface of the planet.<br /><br />Based on ROSAT's orbital path, these fragments could be scattered along a swath of the planet about 80 km wide, the officials have said.<br /><br />The satellite, which weighs 2,426 kg, was launched into orbit in 1990 to study X-ray radiation from stars, comets, supernovas, nebulas and black holes, among other things.<br />It was originally designed for an 18-month mission, but it far outlived its projected lifespan. In 1998, its star tracker failed, forcing its X-ray sensors to pointed directly at the sun. This caused irreparable damage to the satellite, and it was officially decommissioned in February 1999.<br /><br />ROSAT was the second satellite to fall uncontrolled from space within a month. On September 24, a 6.5-tonne, NASA climate satellite, called the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), plummeted into the Pacific Ocean.<br /><br />The event sparked a media frenzy around the world, and some pranksters even seized the opportunity to create hoax videos and images of the satellite's fall</p>
