"According to the US military's Space Force, the roughly 1,323lb (600kg) spacecraft, one of twin probes launched in 2012 to investigate the Van Allen radiation belt, is estimated to re-enter Earth's atmosphere at about 7.45pm EDT. Most of the craft, it said in a prediction published Monday, will burn up on re-entry, yet some components are expected to survive."
"Debris falling from space is not uncommon, and Wired reported in 2009 that over a 40-year period roughly 5,400 tons are thought to have survived re-entry. But the odds of being hit are low because about 71% of Earth's surface is covered by water."
"The odds that you will be hit are one in several trillion, so quite low for any particular person, Mark Matney, a scientist in the orbital debris program office at Nasa's Johnson space center, Houston, told the outlet."
A 600kg NASA spacecraft from a 2012 Van Allen radiation belt mission is predicted to re-enter Earth's atmosphere on Tuesday at approximately 7:45pm EDT. While most of the craft will burn up during re-entry, some components are expected to survive. The Space Force estimates a 1 in 4,200 probability that someone on Earth could be harmed. Debris from space re-entries is common, with approximately 5,400 tons surviving re-entry over 40 years. However, the actual risk to individuals remains extremely low due to Earth's 71% water coverage and vast population distribution. Only one documented case exists of a person being struck by space debris: Lottie Williams in 1997.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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