Posted on 01/13/2012 6:55:58 PM PST by BenLurkin
A coordinated global campaign is monitoring a wayward Russian Mars probe that's slated to crash to Earth in the next few days, the European Space Agency has announced.
The doomed Phobos-Grunt spacecraft, which Russian officials estimate will re-enter Earth's atmosphere between Saturday and Monday, is now officially a target for the 12-member Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee, or IADC for short.
"An IADC re-entry prediction campaign is ongoing since Jan. 2. Phobos-Grunt was identified to be no high-risk object," said Heiner Klinkrad, head of the space debris office at the European Space Agency's (ESA) European Space Operations Center in Darmstadt, Germany. "Hence, this will be adopted as our annual 'test campaign' for 2012," he told Space.com.
The determination that Phobos-Grunt is not a high-risk piece of space junk is due to the relatively low dry mass of the errant spacecraft — just 2.5 tons. There's about 11 tons of toxic propellant onboard, adding up to the probe’s total mass of 13.5 tons.
According to ESA, studies by the Russian space agency (known as Roscosmos) and NASA indicate that Phobos-Grunt's fuel tanks should burst high above the Earth, releasing a load of propellant that will subsequently dissipate.
... said Alice Gorman, a lecturer in the School of Humanities, Department of Archaeology, at Flinders University in South Australia.
"More than 50 percent of all re-entered spacecraft material is titanium, beryllium or steel, which has a melting point twice that of aluminum, so the likelihood of the fuel tanks surviving is very low,” Gorman said. "The fuel is reported to be hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, which boil at 113 degrees Celsius and 21 degrees C (235 F to 69 F) respectively, so it will evaporate at high altitude once the tanks go."
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Russian Federal Space Agency The failed Russian Mars probe Phobos-Grunt is predicted to crash back to Earth between in the next few days. The spacecraft will fall between 51.4 degrees north latitude and 51.4 degrees south latitude, as shown in the diagram.
What are the chances it falls on the White House?
Wishes and prayers.
Kool. It could hit Mecca. Or the well in Qom.
Maybe it could fall on the Mitt Romney campaign bus.
At least our failed Mars probes crash on Mars.
But they have had horrible luck with Mars.
Not that our is that good.
Face it... Going to Mars is freaking HARD.
/johnny
It’s only 2-1/2 tons of nearly indestructible metal hurtling uncontrollably into the Earth.
What could possibly go wrong?
+1 Internets
But yeah, I do feel better if it's dust sized instead of having components DESIGNED to survive re-entry.
On the bright side, the CCCP hasn't managed to soft land much on Mars, so maybe this will be toasty and fine-grained before it hits the ground.
/johnny
Venus is downhill; Mars is uphill (relative to the Sun).
"Moscow, you have a problem..."An "extra, extra" ping to the APoD list members.
LOL!
Phobos-Grunt was identified to be no high-risk object,”
The risk is elevated if it falls on you!
We didn't manage that.
Heck, space is just difficult.
It's amazing our insane governments on this planet can actually manage it.
/johnny
What a moronic, overwrought, vapid headline from MSNBC..hey things haven’t changed on the never watched channel... Jeez I don’t think I’ll be joining “the World” in waiting for the space junk to vaporize. God this mindless sh*t wears me out.
The Phobos-grunt probe. That could hurt, somebody.
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