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Land Song Map showing the most estimated forecasts of where it can fall on May 9 or May 10th Cosmos 482. Credit: ESA/ESOC SPACE CONTROL OFFICE
Update for 15:00 ET on May 9: According to the European Space Agency, the current window re -introduction window 482 is 2:37 pm ET (0637 GMT) on May 10 +/- 3.28 hours. This story was updated to reflect the most up -to -date forecast.
In 1972, the Soviet Union launched Lander Kosmos 482, a spacecraft designed to reach Venus and land on its surface. However, the craft has never reached Venus. The rocket that shot him underwent an anomaly, stabbing the probe into an elliptical orbit around the Earth, where it remained for more than 50 years.
This stay for five decades in space can be completed today. Kosmos 482 is expected to enter the Earth’s atmosphere again and possibly collapse somewhere on the surface of the planet. The probe consists of a 3.3-foot (1-meter) titanium coat lined with thermal insulation designed to withstand the heat of entry into the atmosphere of Venus. The craft weighs about 1190 pounds (495 kilograms).
It is still quite uncertain exactly where and when will the craft fall, although it is expected to reappear in 2:37 am According to the European Space Agency. Based on the current songs and the orbital tendency of a dead probe of 52 degrees, the re -introduction of the craft can occur anywhere between 52 degrees north latitude and 52 degrees south – an area that covers the greater part of the earth’s surface.
However, re -introduction of space 482 may not be as dangerous as other space junk. “As it is likely to reach the earth’s surface as only one object, the risks are lower than, for example, those created by the re-introduction of the upper stage of Falcon 9, which a soul with multi-meter objects above a large area,” writes the Dutch satellite tracking Marco Langbrock in a blog that follows the re-introduction of Kosmos 482.
But there is no need to be afraid to be struck by the falling probe, according to Cords. In the end, 71% of the earth’s surface is covered with water and much of the ground on the surface is uninvited. The chances are that the probe will land somewhere harmless.
“While the risk is Nenulev, every individual on Earth is much more likely to be struck by lightning than to be wounded by Cosmos 482,” according to Aerospace Corporation. “If it remains intact all the way to the surface, we design a risk of 0.4 to 10,000 – which falls well into the current safety threshold.”
Satellite tracking and astronomers have been tracking Kosmos 482 for years. In 2019, there were reports that the craft could fall within a year, which did not happen. Astrophotographer Ralph Vandeberg of the Netherlands has captured the camera probe for more than a decade, and recently filmed images suggest that his parachute may be out while walking around the ground.
Telescopic images of the Soviet Cosmos 482 Venus Descent Craft in the Earth’s orbit taken by the satellite tracker Ralph Vandeberg of the Netherlands. | Credit: Ralph Vandeberg
However, some experts have questioned these speculation. Langbroek writes that the structure of the “tail” in Vandeberg’s photos is probably the result of a “shaking of a camera/telescope and atmospheric distortion” instead of a parachute.
Cosmos 482 is part of the historical program of the Soviet Union of Venus to study Venus, which landed the first probe on the surface of the planet in 1970 with the Venera 7 craft, and later sends the first color photos to the surface of Venus in 1982 with the Venera 13 probe.
Be up -to -date with the re -introduction of Kosmos 482 with the live blog of the ESA or the Marco Langbroke Sattrackcam website.