The South Korean science ministry issued a warning on Monday that a defunct American satellite could fall on the Korean Peninsula and its surrounding areas later today.
The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), which was first put into orbit in 1984, has successfully achieved the job it set out to accomplish, which was to investigate how the planet absorbs and emits solar energy.
According to a report from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the ERBS is projected to come back down to Earth between 12:20 and 1:20 p.m., and the Korean Peninsula is one of the regions where the satellite might land.
The Ministry of Science and Technology has indicated that the majority of the satellite will burn up upon re-entry into the atmosphere; nevertheless, it has warned the Korean people to be aware of a few components that will probably survive and reach the surface.
The ERBS Satellite
A 38-year-old retired NASA spacecraft may plunge into Earth.
On January 6, NASA issued a statement indicating that the likelihood of debris landing on anyone is “extremely low.” When it comes back into Earth’s atmosphere, the 5,400-pound (2,450-kilogram) satellite will lose the majority of its mass, as stated by NASA. On the other hand, it is believed that certain components would survive.
The space agency estimated that there was a one in 9,400 chance that someone would get hurt because of falling debris.
The entry of the scientific satellite on Earth is expected to take place on Sunday night, give or take 17 hours, according to the Department of Defense.
However, the California-based Aerospace Corporation plans to pursue a trajectory that will take it over Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the westernmost sections of both North and South America on January 9 morning, give or take 13 hours.
In 1984, the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, also known as ERBS, was successfully sent into space by the Challenger space shuttle. Even though it was only supposed to have a lifespan of two years, the satellite was able to continue collecting data on ozone and other atmospheric variables until 2005. The spacecraft explored the process of solar energy absorption and emission by the planet Earth.
The satellite got a special send-off from Challenger. Sally Ride, the first woman from the United States to travel into space, used the robot arm on the shuttle to send a satellite into orbit. During the same trip, Kathryn Sullivan became the first woman from the United States to perform a spacewalk. It was a historic occasion because it was the first time that two female astronauts travelled to space together.
It was Sally Ride’s second and last trip into space before she passed away in 2012.
