Short Notice on Satellite Crash

A bus-size Soviet satellite known to be orbiting out of control will plunge to Earth on Thursday and scientists will have only minutes to estimate the crash site, West German officials monitoring the craft said today.

The officials added that the Soviet Union appeared reluctant to provide detailed information about the Cosmos 1714 surveillance satellite which might help pinpoint its potential landing area. Because of the satellite’s size, chunks of it are expected to strike the Earth’s surface rather than burn up in the atmosphere on reentry.