space junk

"On Christmas Eve," said Norad, "A soviet Sputnik hit Africa,
India, Venezuela,Texass, Kansass, It's coming fast --
Peru too --It keeps coming..."
And now I'm mad about Space Junk
I'm all burned out about Space Junk
Ooh walk and talk about Space Junk
It smashed my baby's head, and now my Sally's dead.

--Devo, "Space Junk"

What the Mothersbaugh and Casale brothers sang about 30 years ago has come to pass.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A defunct NASA research satellite about the size of a bus was due to come crashing back to Earth on Friday, showering debris over a still unknown part of the planet.

Scientists were unable to pinpoint the time and place where the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite, or UARS, will land due to unpredictable changes in the thickness of the atmosphere, fueled in part by a powerful solar flare on Thursday.

NASA says the chances of anyone getting hit by this bus-sized object falling from the sky are minimal, but I'm not reassured.