Most of the 1 ½-ton telescope is expected to burn up in the atmosphere. But a handful of pieces made of denser-than-lead tungsten and some mirror parts could survive reentry,
In this image provided. by NASA, Spectrum Astro workers remove the final pieces of protective cover on the Swift spacecraft in Hangar AE at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, on Sept. 9, 2002. (AP)