'a very large person'
it seems nasa's uars satellite is still, tantalizingly, on the edge of space. according to earlier reports it was by now expected to have parked itself, oz-style, on the wicked witch of the west leaving only her ruby slippers unflattened.
the good news is that it has given extra time to locate the only true expert on falling space debris. in 1997 lottie williams was struck by a piece of the delta ii rocket near her home in oklahoma. hit on the shoulder she survived, and became the only person known to have been hit by part of a falling satellite. her sage advice? to go outside and look to the sky. if you see the satellite heading for you - run. i like the simplicity of real people.
nasa have estimated the largest single piece of debris to make it to the earth's surface will weigh 158kg - they say this is equivalent to 'a very large person'. similar to the one above, i imagine.
