On November 5, the Chinese Long March 5B rocket will return to Earth uncontrollably .
At the moment it is not possible to make a precise forecast on the place where it will fall , but among the many inhabited areas of the Earth, between 42 degrees north latitude and 42 degrees south latitude, there is also Sardinia .
The rocket has a mass of about 23 tons, and similar uncontrolled returns occurred in 2020, 2021 and recently in July 2022. The Lunga Marcia 5B took off on October 31, 2022 at 08:38 Italian time, successfully launching Mengtian, the third and last module of the Chinese space station Tiangong. The rocket, too large to completely burn in the atmosphere, is being monitored by space agencies and civil protection.
THE CIVIL PROTECTION ALERT
The Regional Civil Protection was also informed and issued a bulletin according to which Sardinia could be affected by two trajectories . At the moment the most likely window for the first passage is at 8.29 local time, for the second at 10 .
Times that could also be anticipated, for this reason another bulletin will be released during the night if the ASI, which is monitoring the situation, has updated data.
While sounding the alarm, the Civil Protection points out that real cases of impact on the Earth are very rare, which is why there are no internationally codified self-protection behaviors to be adopted.
However, some indications may be useful: it is difficult for the fragments to collapse the buildings, which are therefore safer than outdoor places , but it is better to stay away from windows and glass doors ; better the lower floors of the buildings , since the fragments could pierce the roofs; the safest places in masonry buildings are under the vaults of the lower floors and in the doorways inserted in the load-bearing walls, in reinforced concrete buildings it is better to place yourself near the columns or walls; difficult to see from the ground before impact the smallest fragments; finally, large fragments could survive the impact and contain hydrazine, a toxic substance, therefore it is advisable not to touch them and keep at a distance of at least 20 meters , reporting them to the authorities.