JAKARTA A spacecraft crashed in Indonesia on May 10 after circling Earth for more than five decades. Reportedly, the vehicle belongs to the Soviet Union which has now turned into Russia.
The incident spacecraft is Kosmos-482. According to a report by Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, Kosmos-482 entered Earth's atmosphere at around 9:24 a.m. Moscow time. The plane also crashed intact to the west of Jakarta, Indonesia.
However, it is not certain whether the crash site of Kosmos-482 is correct. The reason is, several space agencies from other countries estimate different de-orbit locations, such as in mainland South Asia to the East Pacific.
The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has not confirmed whether Kosmos-482 has indeed fallen in the Jakarta area. However, BRIN has been monitoring the movement of the vehicle since its altitude was only a few hundred kilometers from Earth.
BRIN Space Research Center Principal researcher Thomas Djamaluddin explained that the orbit of Kosmos-482 continued to decline due to atmospheric barriers. Initially, the altitude of this aircraft reached 10,000 kilometers, but over time it fell to 200 kilometers.
The plane crashed freely when it reached an altitude of 120 kilometers. Thomas had already predicted that Kosmos-482 would crash on May 10, but the point needs to be observed in detail due to several atmospheric barrier factors.
"As a country in an equatorial region with a very large area, Indonesia has the potential for the fall of Kosmos-482. However, due to the uncertainty of atmospheric barrier factors, location and time of fall, it is still difficult to confirm," explained Thomas and some time ago.
Thomas has also anticipated public concerns. He said that the chances of falling in a populated area were very small. Therefore, Thomas said, "People don't need to worry, but stay alert."
Wahana Falls Belonging To The Soviet Union
Kosmos-482 is part of the Soviet Union's Venera program, namely a program to deliver spacecraft to Venus in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The aircraft was launched to the planet in 1972.
Unfortunately, there was a problem with the rocket carrying Kosmos-482 so that the vehicle was thrown into an elliptical orbit around Earth and could no longer be used. The spacecraft remained there for 53 years until it finally fell slowly.
A few decades ago, this vehicle split into four parts. He fell when it was first launched, while the fourth part fell in 1981. Now, the components that fall are the last part weighing about 0.5 tons or 500 kilograms.
This spacecraft is designed with strong durability to be able to penetrate the atmosphere of Venus. Therefore, Kosmos-482 remains intact when entering Earth with a fireball-like display that glides rapidly.
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