At the suggestion of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Israel’s civil aviation authorities have agreed to close Israeli air space in the event that the American Skylab, now dropping toward earth, disintegrates over Israel.
But Israeli experts say there is only a remote possibility that debris from the 77-ton space vehicle will fall in this region. U.S. authorities, keeping a close watch on Skylab’s deteriorating orbit, have promised to issue three advance warnings–24 hours, 12 hours, and six hours– before the predicted fall. The Americans have mapped a globe-girdling path in which debris might fall and are issuing warnings to all countries located in possible impact regions. The fall is estimated to occur on or about July 16. Skylab was placed in orbit six years ago.
Prof. Giora Shaviv, a Haifa Technion geophysicist, has ruled out any possibility that Israel will be bombarded with fragments. In fact, according to Shaviv, the debris will burn out on entering the dense lower atmosphere just as most meteors do. The chances that it will fall on populated areas or hit people is zero, Shaviv said.
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