Soviet relic's potential earthbound return: Kosmos 482 on course
A piece of the Soviet probe Kosmos 482, which has been orbiting the Earth for over 50 years, may soon re-enter the atmosphere. This probe, launched in 1972 on a mission to Venus, remained in orbit due to a rocket malfunction and is now expected to fall to Earth. The crucial questions are: where and when will it land?
The Kosmos 482 probe was launched by the USSR in 1972 as part of a mission to gather data from the surface of Venus. However, things didn't go entirely to plan. Due to a malfunction in the upper stage of the carrier rocket, the probe failed to leave Earth's orbit and broke into several pieces.
Kosmos 482 will return to Earth, sort of
Some fragments of the Kosmos 482 probe re-entered Earth's atmosphere in the 1980s, but other components, including a lander weighing 495 kilogrammes and about 1 metre in size, are gradually descending to lower layers of orbit. According to Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek, this fragment may soon fall to Earth, reports The Verge.
The challenge lies in determining exactly where the fragment will land or if it will burn up in the atmosphere beforehand. As Langbroek notes, the lander was built to withstand entry into Venus's atmosphere, where the average temperature is approximately 463 degrees Celsius.
When will this happen?
Technically, the fragment of the probe could survive entry into Earth's atmosphere and fall in an unspecified location. The descent will be uncontrolled and the lander's parachute systems are unlikely to function after so many years in space. Nevertheless, the probability of someone being hit is small, but not zero, the scientist emphasises.
The expected impact speed is 65 - 70 metres per second (approximately 150 mph). When will the fragment of the Kosmos 482 probe enter the atmosphere? It is predicted to occur around 10th May.
