Iconic NASA ERBS satellite crashes safely near Alaska

The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), launched into space in 1984, has finally crashed back to Earth. He came out

operation more than 17 years ago and the day before “returned” to our planet.

What is known

ERBS was launched into space by the Challenger shuttle in1984 and placed in orbit by the robotic arm Canadarm, operated by Sally Ride, the first female astronaut. The satellite was used to estimate the level of absorption and reflection of solar energy by our planet.

Since 2005, ERBS has been on the slow decline.On January 9 at 06:04 (EET), the spacecraft entered the atmosphere over the waters of the Coastal Sea. The wreckage of the satellite, which did not have time to burn out, collapsed near Alaska. There was no information about the destruction and injuries of people.

National Aeronautics Administration andNASA put the odds of harm at 1 in more than 9,000. Despite this, the authorities did not deny that the satellite debris was a threat.

In the future, satellites will fall to Earth more often.This is due to new regulations from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The regulator ordered operators to remove spacecraft from orbit within 5 years after completion of work (was 25 years) so that they do not pose a threat to existing objects. The only exceptions are satellites that are in geostationary orbit.