ZenOps
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...arth-month.html

Half a ton of satellite will be hitting the earth soon.

"The space agency said that the crash site will be anywhere between 57 degrees north latitude and 57 degrees south latitude and the remains could scatter over a 500mile area."

alloroc
Wow.

...Reading comprehension > you.

There is not a 1/32000 chance of being hit.

According to the article there is a one in 1/32,000 that it may hit someone.

The current population is about 6,900,000,000

Unfortunately for the rest of us, the chance of 'you' getting hit is only
32000 x 6900000000 = 220,800,000,000,000 : 1

Modelexis

Zen never said it's the chance of 'you' getting hit.

He simply stated that its the chance of getting hit.
Never gave a subject of who is going to get hit.
For all you know he could have meant that it's the chance of 'someone' getting hit.

You can just as easily insert 'someone' where you've inserted 'you' to make whatever case you want.

You've created your own subject and then sarcastically made a comment about a technicality that ended up being fabricated by you.

BlackArcher101
I interpreted it the same way as alloroc.

adam c

no the article definitely says 1:3200

---
Tin hats at the ready: Six-ton satellite will plummet back to Earth… and there's a one in 3,200 chance it could hit someone

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...l#ixzz1Xbl9GXMa
---

max_boost
What about the odds of getting hit by a C-train? :confused:

ZenOps
I assume they assume that the satellite will shatter into a gajillion pieces (hence the 500 mile radius) when reducing its mass from 6 tons to half a ton.

So, its more like a shotgun shooting many pellets over a wide area of earth. A shotgun that is shooting bullets that are much faster than several times the speed of sound. The momentum of LEO satellites have them going around the earth in less than half an hour - that momentum is often preserved in any heavy elements used in the satellite, and is much deadlier and faster than any bullet.

Gajillion being a complete guess. If it hits a major city, it could potentially kill quite a few people.

A3GTiVR6SC

Which quadrant of the city are we talking here? If it's the N.E, probably 1:200. lol

GQBalla
damn that sounds like it could cause some serious damage to wherever it hits.

sigh...