Debris from Chinese rocket is expected to hit Earth Saturday

Engineering professor John Crassidis appeared on national television on The Today Show on Thursday morning to discuss space debris from a Chinese rocket launched last week that’s hurtling back to Earth.

Crassidis, the Samuel P. Capen Chair Professor and a SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, said: “It’s going at 17,500 miles per hour, so even the smallest little change will cause it to deviate great amounts.” He said by the time debris from the rocket reaches Earth’s surface, expected on Saturday, it’s likely to be the size of hail. “The chances of you getting hurt by something like this are extremely small,” he said.

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