Soviet-Era Spacecraft To Reenter Earth After 53 Years In Orbit: Report
Launched in 1972, Kosmos 482 malfunctioned on its way to Venus. An issue with a timer resulted in an early engine shutdown, trapping the Soviet spacecraft in Earth's orbit for over half a century.
With the aircraft now set to crash down, scientists are unsure which part of it will reenter the Earth. Some think it will be the probe, also known as the "entry capsule."
The majority of space debris and meteors, which frequently veer toward a crash-landing on Earth, break apart due to friction and pressure as they strike the planet's dense atmosphere while travelling thousands of miles per hour.
Cosmos 482, being a Soviet reentry capsule, is expected to be equipped with a substantial heat shield. It was designed to survive the extreme temperature and pressure of landing on Venus.
The spacecraft "might well survive Earth atmosphere entry and hit the ground," wrote Dr. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist and astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, on his website.
He added, "The risk of the object hitting people on the ground is likely minimal, and there's no need for major concern, but you wouldn't want it bashing you on the head."
According to scientists, Cosmos 482 may land within 52 degrees north or south of the equator. Even if the area contains a large portion of the ocean, entire countries are still vulnerable to an uncontrolled spacecraft crashing down on their territory.
Since a lot of the Earth is covered by oceans, scientists are optimistic that it will land in water. However, no one is certain about it.
If Cosmos 482 hits dry land, it's important that onlookers avoid touching the debris. Dangerous fuel leaks or other damage to humans and property might occur from the outdated spaceship.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
21 minutes ago
- NDTV
What Kept Earth Boiling After The Great Dying? Scientists Reveal Mystery
New Delhi: A team of researchers believes they have understood why Earth remained in a state of extreme heat and harsh temperatures for 5 million years following the Great Dying. The catastrophic event, which occurred 252 million years ago, wiped out nearly 90 per cent of all life on Earth, both on land and in the oceans, reported CNN. According to the findings published in Nature, the Great Dying happened due to massive volcanic eruptions in the Siberian Traps. These volcanoes released huge amounts of carbon and other gases that made the situation worse, causing intense global warming. The research showed the extreme heat in the atmosphere caused oceans to become acidic, ecosystems to collapse and massive deaths of marine and land-based plants and animals. But scientists still do not know the exact reason behind global warming, even after volcanoes stopped erupting. Zhen Xu, a study author and a research fellow at the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds, told CNN, "The level of warming is far beyond any other event." Some believe the long-lasting heat after the Great Dying is connected to changes in the oceans, as extreme heat killed plankton, the tiny ocean creatures that usually absorb carbon dioxide from the air. So, without their existence, more carbon stayed in the atmosphere. Others say the extreme heat is linked to a climate tipping point, as the Great Dying collapsed tropical forests. Benjamin Mills, a study author and a professor of Earth system evolution at the University of Leeds, called the catastrophic event unique because "it's the only one in which the plants all die off." To better understand, the Chinese geologists studied fossils and rock layers, created maps of plants and animals living before, during, and after the mass extinction. Their research confirmed that the reason behind Earth's extreme heat was due to the loss of vegetation, one of the best ways to absorb and store carbon dioxide. Mr Mills told CNN that once the forests die, you're changing the carbon cycle. Michael Benton, a palaeontology professor at the University of Bristol, who wasn't part of the study, told CNN that the absence of forests really impacts the natural oxygen-carbon cycles. Without them, the carbon isn't buried properly, keeping high levels of it in the atmosphere over a prolonged period. The study also warned that the Earth could face a similar disaster in the near future, as humans are now heating up the planet by burning fossil fuels. Scientists said that even if humans completely stopped releasing pollution that heats up the planet, the Earth might still not cool down. In fact, global warming may become even worse as natural systems like forests and oceans are already being damaged.
Mint
2 hours ago
- Mint
Scientists decode DNA of man who lived around 5,000 years ago; mixed ancestry reveals early Africa-Asia link
For the first time, scientists have fully decoded the DNA of an ancient Egyptian man who lived around 4,500 to 4,800 years ago. The man was present during the time of the first pyramids. The man's remains were found in a clay pot in a village south of Cairo. DNA tests showed that 80% of his ancestry was North African while 20% came from West Asia and Mesopotamia, CNN reported. This proves there were cultural links between ancient Egypt and the Fertile Crescent region (which includes modern Iraq, Iran and Jordan). Until now, such connections were only guessed through archaeological finds. The ancient man was about 5 feet tall and aged between 44 and 64, very old for that time. DNA showed he had dark skin, brown eyes and brown hair. His bones revealed a life of hard work, with signs of arthritis, osteoporosis and long hours spent leaning forward. He used to carry heavy things. His pelvic bones showed damage from sitting on hard surfaces for years. Experts believe he may have been a potter, using one of Egypt's earliest pottery wheels. However, his rich-style burial was surprising as potters were usually not buried with such honour. The man's body was not mummified as it wasn't common practice then. This helped preserve his DNA, which was taken from one of his teeth. The man was buried in a clay pot inside a rock tomb. Researchers say Egypt's stable climate also helped keep the DNA safe for thousands of years. 'His higher-class burial is not expected for a potter, who would not normally receive such treatment. Perhaps he was exceptionally skilled or successful to advance his social status,' CNN quoted study coauthor Joel Irish as saying. Long before the invention of pottery or writing, farming and domesticated animals spread through the Fertile Crescent and Egypt around 6000 BC. This shift marked the move from hunting and gathering to settled life. Now, scientists are asking if human migration also played a role. Studying ancient DNA from Egypt, Africa and the Fertile Crescent may help answer where people lived and when. According to researcher Dr. Linus Girdland-Flink, each person's DNA is a unique part of human history. 'While we will never be able to sequence everyone's genome, my hope is that we can gather enough diverse samples from around the world to accurately reconstruct the key events in human history that have shaped who we are today,' CNN quoted Girdland-Flink as saying.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Time of India
New Interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS is speeding through our Solar System, NASA confirms
NASA and astronomers around the world have confirmed that a comet named 3I/ATLAS is moving through our solar system, and it's not from around here. This is only the third time in history that an object from interstellar space has been detected flying past our Sun. Spotted on July 1 by the ATLAS survey telescope in Hawaii, the comet was moving so fast that scientists immediately suspected it wasn't bound by the Sun's gravity. Its speed of over 60 kilometres per second means it entered our solar system from deep space and will exit just as quickly. Ice ball from another star According to astronomers, 3I/ATLAS shows signs of being made of mostly ice, not rock. That's based on the faint, fuzzy glow around it. Its brightness will increase as it gets closer to the Sun, peaking around October 30, when it passes just inside Mars' orbit. There's a new interstellar comet in the neighborhood! Known as 3I/ATLAS, this comet poses no threat to Earth – but it does provide a rare opportunity to study an object that originated outside of our solar system: While it won't pose any danger to Earth, its flyby is a big deal. Most comets we see come from the outer edges of our solar system. But this one came from far beyond, possibly freed from another star system by gravity when stars passed close together. Jonathan McDowell from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics explained that icy objects like this might be formed during the birth of stars, and get pulled away when other stars move past. 3I/ATLAS might have been wandering the galaxy for millions of years before arriving here. Largest interstellar object ever seen? Experts estimate that 3I/ATLAS is about 10 to 20 kilometres wide. That makes it possibly the largest interstellar object ever detected. But if it's made of bright ice, it could be smaller than it looks. Either way, it's bigger than both 'Oumuamua (2017) and 2I/Borisov (2019), the first two interstellar visitors. Astronomers across the globe have been tracking the comet using both new and old telescope data. Pre-discovery images from June 14 have already helped trace its path. It's currently around the distance of Jupiter from Earth and only visible from the Southern Hemisphere for now. More interstellar visitors expected Mark Norris, an astronomer from the University of Central Lancashire, believes this comet is moving even faster than its two predecessors. He also said new telescopes, like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, could find thousands of similar objects in the future. NASA determined that 3I/ATLAS will develop a tail. This interstellar comet(?), approaching from 27 Boötis, aligns with the solar system and galactic planes. 'Oumuamua exhibited outgassing but did not resemble a comet. Is 3I/ATLAS emitting signals like 'Oumuamua? #A11pl3Z While it's not possible to send a spacecraft to 3I/ATLAS, it still gives researchers a rare chance to study materials from outside our solar system. If scientists find signs of amino acids or other building blocks of life on it, it could support the idea that life's ingredients exist across the galaxy. So far, this icy wanderer has kept its distance. But it's reminding us that our solar system is not alone. The universe is full of travellers and now, we're finally learning how to spot them.
