Space.com
Scientists are preparing for a “first-of-its-kind” operation to steer a dead satellite back to Earth in a safe assisted re-entry.
The satellite that will be the subject of this guided return to Earth is the European Space Agency (ESA) wind-monitoring Aeolus spacecraft. At a press conference on Wednesday (July 19), ESA scientists explained how they will attempt to guide the return of Aeolus to Earth, which should happen on Friday, July 28.
“This is quite unique, what we’re doing. You don’t find really examples of this in the history of spaceflight,” head of ESA’s Space Debris Office Holger Krag said during the press briefing. “This is the first time to our knowledge, we have done an assisted re-entry like this.” More
“Today, we have 10,000 spacecraft in space, of which 2000 are not functional.”
Sounds about right for our government.
Wait, actually opposite of that…
I designed the Aeolus spacecraft.
Please hit DC. Please hit DC. Please hit DC. Please hit DC. Please hit DC.
I was thinking Davos….
FWEF
No, this is incorrect. I remember a few decades ago, NASA did this. They sent it crashing into the ocean if it didn’t burn up on re-entry.
But I bet no one can find that out because Biden made them scrub it from history because he wants to take credit.
Or something.
Why can’t “re entry” vehicles be designed to slow to “0” ground speed “and just drift thru atmosphere?
@Jim – simple, because it wastes fuel.
@Loco – probably 90% of active are Starlink. 🙂
There should be an international treaty requiring everything shot into orbit to be re-entered safely or the violating nation has to pay to have it brought down. Also, a fine for every piece of space debris left circling the planet.
Dr Tar – That would kill a lotta jobs… they employ a whole department of people just to track space junk.
Is the Apollo 11 Eagle Ascent Stage still orbiting the moon?
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/part-apollo-11-may-still-be-orbiting-moon-180978352/
Remember back in the late 70s when Skylab was falling back to earth. It seems like nobody new where it was going to hit.
back when Skylab was falling apart & ‘re-entering’ I was working for a utility company that had our company initials stenciled on both sides of our hard hats… ‘WSSC’
I scraped off the ‘W’ & stenciled in SkyLab Safety Cap
Supervisor saw me wearing it & demanded an immediate explanation. I laughed & told the boss, “oh, just testing it out & if folks are interested, we can sell ’em for 10 bucks a piece! whaddaya think Chief?” … he just grumped off & said ‘get back to work’
next day, I went in his office & put a requisition on his desk for a warehouse order of 1000 hardhats … “great news boss, the public loved it! sold all of my crew’s hardhats yesterday! …. we’re gonna clean up on these!”
after a few well-chosen expletive deleted’s boss told me to get the hell out of his office before he kicked me in my arse & wrote me up for defacing company property.
different times … much more fun times, for sure