Places of China's 8.5-ton space station could fall

The uncontrolled Thien Cung 1 station with toxic chemicals on board can crash into one of the major cities, including New York.

China's first experimental space station, Thien Cung 1, will fall back into the atmosphere from March 30 to April 6, according to experts. The most likely station areas are located along a narrow line between 43 degrees north latitude and 43 degrees south latitude, including many populous cities like New York, Barcelona, ​​Beijing, Chicago, Istanbul, Rome and Toronto, Long Room reported.

China's 8.5-ton space station is about to fall to Earth.(Video: Next).

Thien Cung 1 station is easy to fall into the most cities due to flying parallel to the equator. From the view on Earth, the station seems to be flying more slowly above areas at high risk of falling due to the relative position of the station compared to Earth, although its speed remains stable. Because the station takes longer to fly over the Earth's surface at this latitude, the probability of falling here is higher.

The 8.5-ton space station is rushing towards Earth after falling into a state of uncontrollability in 2016 that is thought to contain dangerous hydrazine . Scientists only know the exact date and location of the debris falling in the last fall weeks of the station. Explaining this, Dr. Hugh Lewis, senior lecturer in Aerospace Engineering at Southampton University compares the station's falling process with the crossing.

"The Chinese space station is flying in orbit similar to a circle, with the nose corresponding to the equator at 43 °. If you put this route on the Earth map, you will have a sinusoidal graph, with the road. lower curvature in the north and south latitudes and the more direct part running from east to west, " explains Dr. Lewis.

"If imagining a low-risk area on the map is the part of the road we are trying to cross, the fastest way is to go straight to the road at a 90-degree angle. When the space station flies over the equator, it passes very When the station flies over the farther north and south, it follows a steeper angle, almost parallel to the road, which takes more time to pass through these latitudes, which is why Why is the risk of the station falling here higher, " Dr. Lewis said.

The debris of the station will not fall far beyond 42.7 ° latitude or 42.7 ° south latitude.

Most predict the collision location of Thien Cung 1 station from Aerospace, an American research organization in El Segundo, California, specializing in advising governments and private businesses in the field of space flight. According to Aerospace, the station will fly through the Earth's atmosphere on April 4 with a time span of about a week.The debris of the station will not fall far beyond 42.7 ° latitude or 42.7 ° south latitude.

Safe areas not flying by Thien Cung Station account for about one third of the Earth's total surface area.Particularly risky in the northern hemisphere is the north of the United States, including Boston, Des Moines, Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Salt Lake City. Florence, Italy, Monaco City and Sochi, Russia, are also in high risk areas. In the southern hemisphere, other cities that may be affected are Trelew, Argentina, Christchurch, New Zealand, and Sapporo, Japan.

Experts from the European Space Agency (ESA) in Paris, France, are watching the Thien Cung station 1. ESA's Space Debris Division in Darmstadt, Germany, adjusting their prediction of the time the station falls from 30 April 3 to April 6, narrowing the previous estimate from March 29 to April 9.

Although most spacecraft will ignite when it falls through the atmosphere, about 10 - 40% of the debris can remain and contain hydrazine. In recent months, Thien Cung 1 station fell quickly with a speed of more than 6 km / week. Last October, the station's speed was 1.5 km / week.