Soviet spacecraft set for collision with Earth on Saturday
Here's a Fresh Take on the Failed Venus Mission Soviet Probe Expected to Crash into Earth this Saturday
Get ready for a trip down memory lane, space enthusiasts! A piece of history from the cosmos is set to make a comeback, but this time it's not an intended voyage. A Soviet probe launched way back in 1972 to explore Venus has been orbiting Earth and is now predicted to crash into our planet this weekend. The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that the re-entry of the Kosmos-482 probe's capsule is scheduled for this Saturday, although the exact impact location remains uncertain.
Fear not! The ESA assures us that the risk of anyone being harmed by the impact is extremely minimal. It's likely that the probe, which is made of highly durable material, will survive re-entry and reach Earth intact, as it was designed to withstand entry into Venus' atmosphere.
The Soviet Union sent several space probes towards Venus between 1961 and 1983 as part of the Venera program, aiming to delve into the mysteries of the alien planet. But our cosmic wanderer, Kosmos 482, never quite made it to Venus. Launched on March 31, 1972, the probe was meant to perform a controlled landing on Venus. Unfortunately, a launch vehicle failure meant the entry capsule remained in Earth orbit instead. While the other components have burned up, the capsule has been orbiting Earth on an eccentric trajectory ever since.
Kosmos 482 is battery-powered and equipped with instruments to measure temperature, pressure, density, and other parameters. It was also originally fitted with a parachute for slowing down the Venus landing. Observations suggest that the parachute might already have been deployed.
Stay tuned for updates on this cosmic curiosity! The exact re-entry time and location will be determined more precisely in the days leading up to the event. Until then, let's hope cosmic Karma won't play a trick on us and the probe misses us entirely!
For now, make sure not to confuse this cosmic return with Jeff Bezos' space party pictures!
Sources:- ntv.de, mli/dpa- [1] space.skyrocket.de/doc_
- Remarkably, this upcoming event brings to mind the Community policy for space debris management, as the Kosmos-482 probe is set to return to Earth this Saturday.
- As technology advances, so does our ability to explore the cosmos, such as the employment policy for scientists and engineers working on space-and-astronomy projects, like Venus planetary probes.
- If the parachute deployed on the Kosmos-482 probe has already been activated, its landing weight could be significantly less than the original 268 kilograms, affecting its trajectory and eventual impact.
- discussions about the reentry of the Kosmos-482 probe often steer toward scientific inquiries, with theorized reentry speeds placing it near that of a WhatsApp message being sent across networks, ironically swift yet seemingly out of our control.
