Radar images from Germany show the end of the ESA satellite ERS-2. Images show that it had already dismantled the satellite before its final crash.
The solar panel, measuring more than eleven by two meters, initially bent and then even detached from the rest of the construction. This is interesting for predicting future satellite crashes. The chance of being hit by space debris on the ground may be small, but it is not zero, according to calculations by a team led by Michael Byers.