Old Soviet Probe Falls to Earth
An old Soviet spacecraft called Kosmos 482 fell back to Earth on Saturday. It had been in orbit (the path around Earth) for more than 50 years. A European space group called EU SST confirmed the fall. Officials said they did not yet know where it came down. They also did not know how much of the spacecraft survived the hot fall through the air.
Kosmos 482 was launched by the Soviet Union in 1972. It was part of a group of missions aimed at Venus, the hottest planet in our solar system. The lander was round and covered in titanium (a strong metal) . It weighed more than 495 kilograms. It was built to land on Venus. But a rocket problem left the spacecraft stuck in Earth's orbit. Most of it fell back to Earth within ten years. The lander itself was about one metre across.
It was hard to predict when and where Kosmos 482 would fall. The Sun's activity and the spacecraft's old condition made it harder to guess. Most old satellites are guided to land in the Pacific Ocean. But this fall could not be controlled. Still, scientists said the chance of hitting anyone with debris was very small.