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2025-05-07 Science & Technology

Decades-old Soviet spacecraft to crash into Earth's atmosphere this week

[FoxWeather] A decades-old Soviet spacecraft is expected to reenter the Earth’s atmosphere in the coming days, but it’s still a mystery as to where it will land if it survives its fiery descent.

According to NASA, the spacecraft, known as Kosmos 482, Cosmos482 or simply 05919, was a Venus-bound probe that launched atop a Russian Soyuz rocket on March 31, 1972.

NASA said that after it achieved an Earth parking orbit, it attempted to launch on a Venus trajectory but failed.

Kosmos 482 broke into four sections – two of which remained in Earth’s orbit for 48 hours, and two larger pieces that have been circling Earth ever since.

NASA said that it’s believed that a malfunction resulted in an engine burn that didn’t provide enough velocity, and that’s why it remains in an elliptical Earth orbit.

Posted by Skidmark 2025-05-07 00:00|| || Front Page|| [124 views ] Top

#1 I'm old enough to remember when Skylab (See the "Re-entry and debris" section. came home.

I remember hearing reports that some people were so frightened of dying from being struck by Skylab debris that they elected to commit suicide.

Posted by Anomalous Sources 2025-05-07 00:12|| 2025-05-07 00:12|| Front Page Top

#2 Kosmos 482

The 3MV planetary probe (short for 3rd generation Mars-Venus) is a designation for a common design used by early Soviet unmanned probes to Mars and Venus.

Solar, not nuclear.

Posted by Skidmark 2025-05-07 10:55|| 2025-05-07 10:55|| Front Page Top

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