Old NASA satellite falling from sky this weekend, low threat
In this photo made available by NASA, the space shuttle Challenger launches the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite in 1984. On Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, the U.S. space agency said the 38-year-old NASA satellite is about to fall from the sky, but the chance of wreckage falling on anybody is “very low.” It's expected to come down Sunday night, give or take 17 hours. Credit: NASA via AP

An old NASA satellite is about to fall.

The chance of a piece of metal falling on someone is very low. NASA says that most of the satellite will burn up when it reenters the atmosphere. Some pieces are likely to survive.

According to the space agency, there is a 1-in-9,400 chance of injury when debris falls.

According to the Defense Department, the satellite is expected to come down sometime Sunday night or Monday morning.

The California-based Aerospace Corp. is targeting Monday morning, giving or taking 13 hours, along a track that goes over Africa, the Middle East, and the westernmost areas of North and South America.

The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite was launched in 1984. The satellite made ozone and other atmospheric measurements until it retired in 2005. The satellite looked at how Earth absorbed the sun's rays.

A special sendoff was given to the satellite. Sally Ride was America's first woman in space. The first spacewalk by a woman from the US took place on that same mission. Two female astronauts flew in space.

It was Ride's second and final flight.

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