Out of control: A Russian spacecraft could fall on Earth

Out of control: the Russian spacecraft could fall on Earth

The spacehip Progress M27M on takeoff from Baikonur.Shortly after the rocket lost communications and began to spin uncontrollably.

Shortly after takeoff Tuesday, communication with the unmanned spacecraft carrying supplies to the International Space Station was discontinued and so far could not be restored.

Which means that an uncontrolled fall to Earth now seems imminent.

The ship was carrying about three tons of cargo, including water, oxygen and food, heading for the International Space Station.

Weighing more than seven tons, and a possible impact area extending from Berlin in the north to the Malvinas / Falklands in the south.

Although Canadian astronaut Chris Hatfield, a former resident of the International Space Station, said in his Twitter account that the ship will burn in the atmosphere.

And the likelihood that, if not completely disintegrates, you might be struck by a fragment of which odds are about 1 in 2.2 trillion.

(The odds of someone being impacted, however, are much higher: 1 in 3200, according to rough estimates Orbital Debris Program at NASA for this type of events).

Type Progress ships have been part of the Russian space program since 1978.

For now, the technicians of the Russian space program are still trying to reestablish contact with the aircraft, which is spinning out of control as it orbits the earth.

But if they fail before they run out of batteries-what will happen in a matter of days-the ship will fall toward Earth.

The crew of the space station still have provisions for four months and are already provided other resupply missions.

Which means that, with any luck, the only consequence of failure will be the loss of Progreso.

And maybe some embarrassment for the Russian space program, which over the past four years has lost several ships and satellites, including another ship Progress crash in August 2011.