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23/01/10/087217 story

A Dead NASA Satellite is Returning to Earth After 38 Years in Space

posted by janrinok on Wednesday January 11, @12:08PM   
from the it's-dead-Jim dept.

upstart writes:

The likelihood of it hurting anyone is "very low":

After nearly four decades in space, NASA's retried Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) is about to fall from the sky. On Friday, the agency said the likelihood of wreckage from ERBS harming anyone on Earth is "very low." NASA expects most of the 5,400-pound satellite will burn up upon re-entry. Earlier this week, the Defense Department predicted ERBS would re-enter the Earth's atmosphere on Sunday at approximately 6:40PM ET, give or take 17 hours.

While it may not be a household name, the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite had anything but a dull history. Per Phys.org, the Space Shuttle Challenger carried the satellite to space in 1984, a little more than a year before Challenger's heartbreaking demise in early 1986. Astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly to space, released ERBS from Challenger's cargo hold using the spacecraft's robotic arm. [...] As for ERBS, it went on to collect ozone and atmospheric measurements until 2005. Scientists used that data to study how Earth absorbs and radiates solar energy. ERBS's contribution to science is even more impressive when you consider NASA initially expected it would only stay functional for two years.

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Original Submission

• There's a Hole in My Kayak There's a Hole in My Kayak (Score: 1, Offtopic) by Taxi Dudinous on Wednesday January 11, @12:37PM (1 child)

  by Taxi Dudinous (8690) on Wednesday January 11, @12:37PM (#1286348)

  Next Article

  The Defense Department has confirmed that the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) reentered the atmosphere off the Alaskan coast at 11:04PM Eastern on January 8th. There are no reports of damage or injuries, according to the Associated Press. That isn't surprising when NASA said there was a 1-in-9,400 chance of someone getting hurt, but it's notable when officials said there was a possibility of some parts surviving the plunge.

  If the gate explodes, we could have rock showers every day. Time to get digging.

  • Re:There's a Hole in My Kayak (Score: 2) by captain normal on Wednesday January 11, @06:44PM

    by captain normal (2205) on Wednesday January 11, @06:44PM (#1286391)

    Yep...more than a day late. From NASA, "NASA’s retired Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) reentered Earth’s atmosphere at 11:04 p.m. EST on Sunday, Jan. 8..."
    https://www.nasa.gov/feature/langley/retired-nasa-earth-radiation-budget-satellite-to-reenter-atmosphere [nasa.gov]

    --
    "It is easier to fool someone than it is to convince them that they have been fooled" Mark Twain

    Parent

• China missing its opportunity (Score: 3, Funny) by oumuamua on Wednesday January 11, @02:44PM

  by oumuamua (8401) on Wednesday January 11, @02:44PM (#1286352)

  For payback:
  https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/science/chinese-rocket-falls-earth-nasa-says-beijing-did-not-share-information-2022-07-30/ [reuters.com]
  https://www.space.com/nasa-esa-space-chiefs-condemn-china-rocket-debris-crash [space.com]
  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/31/nasa-criticises-china-after-space-rocket-makes-uncontrolled-return-to-earth [theguardian.com]
  China Lucks Out Again as Out-of-Control Rocket Booster Falls in the Pacific [nytimes.com]
  but they have posted nothing:
  https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/ [chinadaily.com.cn]