2023-04-19 13:16:59
In the next few hours, a “dead” satellite of the NASA will crash to earthAs reported Space.com. Is about RHESSIa 270-kilogram device that the United States space agency launched more than two decades ago to study the Sun and stopped operating in 2018.
RHESSI: When will the NASA satellite hit the Earth?
RHESSI (abreviatura de “Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager”) will enter the earth’s atmosphere during the day of Wednesday 19 April, indicated from NASA and the United States Army. The precise time cannot be determined.
5 facts about RHESSI from NASA
- It was launched into low Earth orbit aboard a rocket in February 2002.
- Its purpose was to study solar flares.
- It recorded more than 100,000 X-ray events.
- His observations allowed scientists to study the aforementioned phenomenon in the Sun and the acceleration of particles.
- Its useful life ended in 2018.
What dangers are there from the fall of the satellite?
With its 270 kilograms, it is a satellite that is not exactly bulky. Most of its mass will turn to ash and steam in its transfer to Earth, the specialists explained.
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However, “it is expected that some satellite components survive upon re-entry”, with a low risk of harm to people, approximately 1 in 2467.
What happens to orbital debris
As the above-mentioned source notes, the return of the RHESSI satellite does not imply a danger as peralthough it is a reminder that “Earth orbit is an increasingly crowded place”, full of space junk.
A digital image of the amount of space junk in Earth’s orbit. (Photo: AP/ESA)
More than 30,000 pieces of orbiting debris are currently tracked by surveillance systems, a problem that is exacerbated because many of these items are too small to control. According to data from the European Space Agency (ESA), about 1 million objects between 1 and 10 centimeters wide are flying around our planet. Others, below 1 millimeter, total about 130 million.
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What is the danger? “Even these small fragments can cause serious damage if they hit a satellite or a manned spacecraft, given their tremendous speeds: in low-Earth orbit, where the International Space Station and many other craft fly, objects move at more than 28,000 kilometers per hour”, indica Space.com, also noting that collisions generate more space debris.
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