European Science Satellite to Tumble Back to Earth

A European satellite that spent four years mapping Earth's gravity ran out of fuel on Monday and will plunge back into the atmosphere in about two weeks, officials said.   The Gravity field and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer, or GOCE, had been operating about 139 miles (224 km) above Earth - lower than any other science satellite - to map variations in the planet's gravity.   “We have obtained the most accurate gravity data ever available to scientists,” Volker ...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - lundi 21 octobre 2013