One Piece of a Soviet ship that failed on the way to Venus For over 50 years it should Fall back on Earth later this week . Very little is known about this piece of space waste, called Cosmos 482 (or kosmos 482).
Although most projections estimate that the object will re -enter the atmosphere around May 10, uncertainties as to its exact shape and size – in addition to the unpredictability of the space climate – make some degree of uncertainty inevitable.
It is also unclear which part of the ship will reent, although researchers believe it is the probe, or “input capsule”, designed to support the temperatures and extreme pressures of the landing in Venus – whose atmosphere is 90 times more dense than that of Earth.
This means that it can resist its unexpected trip back to the planet, representing a small but real risk to people on the ground.
Although space waste and meteors often go to a fall in the earth, most objects are disintegrated when they are torn by friction and pressure as it crossed the dense terrestrial atmosphere at very high speeds.
But if the Cosmos 482 object is indeed a reentry Soviet capsule, it would be equipped with a robust thermal shield, which means that “it could well survive the entrance to the earth’s atmosphere and reach the ground,” according to Dr. Jonathan McDowell, astrophysicist and astronomer of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center, who shared his predictions about Cosmos 482 on your website.
The risk of the object reaching someone on the floor is probably minimal, and “there is no reason for great concern,” McDowell wrote, “but you certainly wouldn’t want him to fall into his head.”
Race for Venus
The Soviet Union Space Research Institute, or Iki, was founded in the mid -1960s during the 20th century space race, which placed the Soviet Union against its main competitor in space explorations, the United States.
IKI’s Venera program sent a series of probes to Venus in the 1970s and 1980s, and several survived the trip and sent data and images to Earth before ending the operations.
Two spaces of this program, V-71 No. 670 and V-71 No. 671, were launched in 1972, according to McDowell. But only one was successful on the trip to Venus: V-71 No. 670 operated for about 50 minutes on the planet’s surface.
V-71 No. 671 was not so lucky. A rocket led the spacecraft to worship to a “waiting orbit” around the earth. However, the vehicle failed to place itself in the trajectory for Venus, being arrested closer to Earth, according to NASA.
From the 1960s, Soviet vehicles left in terrestrial orbit began to receive the name “Cosmos” followed by a number, for tracking purposes, according to the Space Agency.
Several wreckage were generated with the failure of V-71 No. 671. At least two have already reentry in the atmosphere. But researchers believe that what should fall to Earth this week is the cylindrical entry capsule – cosmos 482 – because of the behavior that the object presented in orbit.
“It’s quite dense, whatever it is, because it has spent decades with a very low point in its orbit without disintegrating,” said Marlon Sorge, a specialist in space debris from the government’s Aerospace Corporation research group. “So it’s clearly something like the ball.”
Although the probe has been equipped with a parachute, the vehicle has been exposed to the hostile environment of space. This makes it highly unlikely that a parachute works or slows down, Sorge told CNN .
The risks of reentry
The chances of the 482 cosmos causing fatal damage are about 1 in 25,000, according to calculations of the Aerospace Corporation, Sorge said.
This is a much lower risk than other space debris. At least some parts of disabled rockets reentry in the atmosphere every year, Sorge said, and many have higher risks of catastrophe.
But if Cosmos 482 really hit the soil, it should fall between the 52 degrees North and 52 South Latitudes, said Marco Langbroek, professor and space traffic specialist at Delft Technical University in the Netherlands.
“This area covers several large masses of land and countries: all of Africa, South America, Australia, the US, parts of Canada, Europe and Asia,” said Langbroek.
“But as 70% of our planet is covered with water, the chances are good that he will end up in some ocean,” he said. “Yes, there is a risk, but it is small. You are more likely to be hit by a lifelong lightning.”
Remember: Spacex ship explodes into space and launches debris
This content was originally published in a Soviet ship that did not come to Venus to fall to Earth this week on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Charles Grill is a tech-savvy writer with over 3 years of experience in the field. He writes on a variety of technology-related topics and has a strong focus on the latest advancements in the industry. He is connected with several online news websites and is currently contributing to a technology-focused platform.
