The Soviet probe will fall to the ground. Is there a reason to fear?
Pursuant to international law, Russia is – as a legal heir to the Soviet Union – it remains the owner of space 482. Under the space of space of 1967, he is responsible for any damage caused by this object on earth or other countries.
Kosmos 482: would -be Wenus winner
Kosmos 482 is a Soviet probe, which was fired on March 31, 1972 as part of the Wenus test. The plan assumed a soft landing on the surface of the second planet from the sun and providing valuable data on its atmosphere and land. However, due to the failure of the load -bearing rocket, the ship did not achieve interplanetary trajectory and got stuck in the Earth’s orbit.
Since then, Kosmos 482 remains a « cosmic spirit » drifting in space. Initially, it circled at an altitude of almost 9,800 km, but for decades his orbit systematically decreased. Today it is already at an altitude of about 370 km, which means that returning to Earth is inevitable.
Uncontrolled return to the ground of the Soviet probe
According to scientists, Kosmos 482 will enter the earthly atmosphere around May 10. According to the Associated Press agency, it is currently impossible to precisely indicate the place of fall. The object can fall anywhere between the 52nd degree of northern latitude and the 52nd degree of southern width – and therefore practically wherever people live.
Marco Langbroek, an expert from the University of Technology in Delft, points out that just before contact with the atmosphere, the probe can reach a speed of up to 242 km/h. – The probability that it will hit someone or something is more or less like a meteorite, which happens several times a year – he explains. – However, this cannot be completely ruled out.
Will the satellite hit the ground?
Kosmos 482 is not only a dead satellite. It is also an object designed to survive extreme conditions – it was to land on Venus, where there is huge pressure and temperature exceeding 460 degrees C. Therefore, some experts predict that it will survive re -entering the earthly atmosphere.
Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell from Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics estimates that « it would be better if the thermal cover failed » because then the object would burn in the atmosphere. Otherwise, « he warns, » a one -half -plated metal object will fall off the sky. » Specialists also doubt that after more than 50 years a parachute works, which is equipped with a probe.
Source: PAP
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