On April 20, NASA’s dead spacecraft could crash into Earth

NASA’s small RESSI spacecraft, on a mission to study the Sun since 2002, is expected to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere with a 1/2 danger to humans. 467.

RHƐSSI is a satellite spacecraft weighing 270 kg, decommissioned since 2018.

The U.S. military estimates that this spacecraft will reach the atmosphere by about 9:30 p.m. ET, April 19correspond to 8:30 a.m. on April 20 Vietnam time. The time can be more or less 16 hours.

According to NASA, most of the object’s 270 kg mass will turn to ash and evaporate into the air. “Death Dive” its entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

RESSI spacecraft, a satellite observing the Sun

RESSI spacecraft, a satellite observing the Sun – (Image: NASA)

However, NASA officials have also acknowledged “some parts should persist”although affirmative “the risk of harm to anyone on Earth is low, about 1/2,467”.

According to Space, the impending fall of RHASSI is another reminder that Earth orbit is an increasingly crowded and dangerous place, with more than 30,000 pieces of debris being tracked by global space surveillance networks. But there are still many difficult things to control.

Even small pieces of debris can cause serious damage if they collide with other spacecraft or space stations, since many objects fly very fast.

In December 2022, the Russian Space Agency (Roscosmos) lost the Soyuz spacecraft attached to the International Space Station (ISS), which this agency and NASA jointly concluded was due to a single flight.

The incident forced the three astronauts from Roscosmos and NASA – who arrived at the ISS by this ship – to stay for a few more months before another spacecraft took three more astronauts to continue their mission. Russia has another Soyuz, but it had to be launched to replace the holed ship.

Ɲga then lost another freight train. The craft was then directed towards Earth, burning up part in the atmosphere and the rest falling safely into the Pacific Ocean.

Article source: MTN