What ever happened to the satellite debris that was orbiting the earth as a...

[swifttallon]

http://www.space.com/news/090215-satelllite-debris-reentry.html
this is a good article on just one of the possibilities.
also digg.com has another article that i found quite interesting.
http://digg.com/space/Space_crash_debris_to_orbit_Earth_for_10_000_years

 

[nickysantor]

...result of a crash about a week ago?
Can it kill people once it enters our atmosphere?

 

[madisonlily]

It probably won't kill anybody. It may burn up re-entering the atmosphere.

 

[MichaelF]

all that debris is still there, and will be there for the next few thousand years

 

[lindajune]

A lot of satellite debris remains in orbit.

Debris that orbits around 200 km altitude will fall out of orbit within a few days. This is due to friction with the atmosphere.
Between 200 and 600 km, it takes a few years for the debris to lose orbital velocity and enter our atmosphere.
Between 600 and 800 km, debris can remain in orbit for decades.
Anything orbiting above 800 km can remain in orbit indefinitely.

The Cosmos 2251/Iridium satellite crash occured at around 790 km, so that debris will remain in orbit for a long, LONG time.

 

[MichaelF]

all that debris is still there, and will be there for the next few thousand years