Gravitational waves in the linear approximation propagate in Schwarzschild
space-time similarly to electromagnetic waves. A fraction of the radiation
scatters off the curvature of the geometry. The energy of the backscattered
part of an initially outgoing pulse of the quadrupole gravitational radiat
ion is estimated by compact formulas depending on the initial energy, the S
chwarzschild radius. and the location and width of the pulse. The backscatt
er becomes negligible in the short wavelength regime.