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- No, Kosmos-482 didn’t land on anyone’s head (digitaltrends.com)
After 53 years in orbit, a piece of a Soviet spacecraft has finally returned to Earth. The Russian space agency Roscosmos confirmed the object, part of the Kosmos-482 mission, re-entered the atmosphere around 2:24 a.m.
ET Saturday. While no one reported seeing the 1,000-pound chunk fall, Roscosmos believes it splashed down in the Indian Ocean west of Jakarta, Indonesia.
The Kosmos-482 mission was intended for Venus, designed to endure the planet’s intense heat and pressure. Unfortunately, a launch malfunction in 1972 prevented the spacecraft from reaching its destination. Instead, it remained stuck in Earth’s orbit for over five decades.
While the return of such a large object might sound alarming, the risk of it causing harm was minimal. The European Space Agency noted that the odds of being injured by falling space debris are extremely low—far less likely than being struck by lightning.
Space debris re-enters the atmosphere frequently, although most of it burns up before reaching the ground. In this case, the robust construction of Kosmos-482, intended for Venus, meant that at least part of it survived the fiery descent.
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- No, Kosmos-482 didn’t land on anyone’s head (digitaltrends.com)