Dear Crabby, Will that Chinese Space Station Land in Michigan?
Sincerely, Skyler Falls
Hello Skyler,
As long as no one gets hurt – I hope so – what fun! Just a couple months ago we were all worried about another meteor falling on us – now, it’s the Tiangong-1 Space Station, and certainly – as it would seem – Michigan is in the path of the uncontrolled vessel, which launched in 2011.
But so is a lot of the world. And most of that path is water. The chances are slim, really slim. Yet, there is a chance. In fact, Governor Rick Snyder has activated Michigan’s Emergency Operations Center to monitor the bus-sized space station set to plummet to earth over the Easter weekend, and many say it could be on Sunday, April 1.
No fooling, say the experts. Anywhere from northern California to Pennsylvania, which includes southern Michigan, the 8.5 metric ton station could break up on reentry. Not sure if Vegas has odds on the crash site, but it truly is a “crap shoot.”
The Chinese had planned on harmlessly splashing the craft, back in 2016, into the ocean with the use of thrusters controlling the reentry. However, a reported malfunction cut-off communications with it and now we may spend Easter morning searching for small chunks of space debris instead of Easter Eggs.
They claim the debris – if any – may come with the cancer causing rocket fuel ruminates of something called hydrazine. So, probably not as tasty as the chocolate Easter Eggs we hide for the grandkids, and Mrs. Crabby hides from me (or else they would be gone by Easter morning).
As far as anyone knows, only one person has ever been hit by a piece of man-made (or human-made) space debris, and she lived to tell the story. If you’re old enough to remember, we had this scare back in 1979 when Skylab crashed. But it was nearly 10 times the size of this Chinese Tiangong-1 station, so I’m sure we’re all going to be fine.
Eight in the morning – Easter morning – is the Michigan time that is “predicted” for the crash. And if it happens – listen for the loud boom – I’ll know just what to do. While the adults call 911, and the kids wonder if it’s the second-coming, I’ll be collecting chocolate eggs … Happy Easter!