Debris from a Chinese rocket is due to crash down to Earth sometime this weekend - but nobody knows where or when.
According to Time magazine, a portion of the Chinese Space Program's largest rocket, the so-called Long March 5B, is tumbling out of control in orbit after launching a section of the country’s new space station on April 29.
Take a look at this video on the rocket:The 10-story-high and 23-ton spent core stage has been predicted by scientists working at the Aerospace Corporation to land anywhere between 41.5 degrees north latitude and 41.5 degrees south latitude.
As of Thursday, May 6, the non-profit organization has been estimated to re-enter our planet's atmosphere on Saturday, May 8, at around 11:43 PM Eastern time, somewhere over Sudan in Northern Africa.
But due to the fact that the core booster is currently traveling at a speed of around 18,000 miles per hour, this estimate is expected to be subject to change.
This is because even a small shift in conditions caused by fluctuations in solar energy could alter the re-entry point drastically.
Most of the debris is expected to be incinerated upon re-entry, which significantly reduces the chances of it landing on a human being or doing any major damage.
Yet The New York Times reports that when China made the first Long March 5B launch, the booster from that rocket also inadvertently made re-entry, with debris raining down on an unfortunate village in the Ivory Coast.
However, a number of scientific experts have criticized the Chinese Space Program for allowing the spent stage to enter the Earth's orbit in the first place.
Per the NY Times, Dr. Jonathan McDowell, a scientist at the Cambridge Center for Astrophysics, stated that the mishap was, in his opinion, "negligent" and "irresponsible."
In an additional interview with Time, Dr. McDowell went on to state: "China is an outlier in the way countries have been disposing of rocket parts for 30 years. They just decided: 'Hey, the Earth is big. This probably won't affect anyone.'
"The fact that [China] let the core stage go into orbit reflects a lack of caring. They really do have to get with the 21st century."
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