I Promise: This Is The Last One, On This Largely Trivial Topic. Truly.

Based on the latest SpaceTrack data, Goddard's and NORAD's latest disclosures, we see that a few hours ago, whatever was left has fallen harmlessly into the Pacific due west of the Galapagos Islands -- a great distance to the west of. . . Ecuador -- in South America.

Here's ABC's confirming blurb, then:

. . .An old NASA science satellite plunged uncontrolled from orbit and reentered over the Pacific on Wednesday.

The U.S. Space Force said the Van Allen Probe A came in west of the Galapagos Islands.

Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek said all re-entries are difficult to predict, but this one was especially challenging given its eccentric, lopsided orbit. . . .

NASA expected some of the 1,323-pound (600-kilogram) spacecraft to survive entry, with most of it burning up in the atmosphere. The space agency put the risk of bodily harm at 1-in-4,200. . . .

Thankfully, that didn't happen. [Nerd confession: from yesterday's data, I had worked out a 3D / math curve, for where it might be passing overhead overnight -- and fit that to a Google Maps globe. (Mine predicted a splash into the ocean due East of the Philipines -- so. . . not perfect!) All of that last trek was on a nine degree angle, like a tipped hat brim, relative to the Equator -- to the South. And that in turn, put it almost exclusively over deep and warm ocean waters. However, it did make at least one additional complete orbit of the Earth, before "burning in".]

Truly -- I will let it go now [obviously, thankfully, with no fishing boats in that vicinity.] Onward -- grinning.

We will have 2025 year end lobby spend trends, starting either tomorrow -- or, if I get ambitious -- later this evening. Merck v. Pfizer, first. . . .

नमस्ते