A NASA spacecraft that has been retired for 38 years is poised to fall from the sky.
NASA stated on Friday that the likelihood of debris landing on anyone is “extremely low.” NASA reports that the majority of the 5,400-pound satellite will burn up during reentry. However, some components are anticipated to survive.
The space agency estimates the probability of harm from falling debris to be roughly 1 in 9,400.
According to the Defense Department, the science satellite is anticipated to land Sunday night, plus or minus 17 hours.
Aerospace Corp., based in California, is aiming for Monday morning, give or take 13 hours, following a trajectory crossing over Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the westernmost regions of North and South America.
The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, or ERBS, was launched on the Challenger space shuttle in 1984. Although its projected lifespan was only two years, the satellite continued to take ozone and other atmospheric observations until 2005. The spacecraft investigated how the Earth absorbed and radiated solar energy.
1984 saw the launch of the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite from the space shuttle Challenger.
Challenger provided a special sendoff for the satellite. Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, sent the satellite into orbit using the shuttle’s robotic arm. Kathryn Sullivan performed the first spacewalk by an American woman on the same mission. It was the first time two female astronauts traveled together in orbit.
It was Ride’s second and final space voyage; he passed away in 2012.
»This weekend, an old NASA satellite will fall from the sky«