A cargo of space debris, considered the heaviest ever produced by the International Space Station (ISS), completed its final descent to Earth a few days ago.
The cargo, which weighed about 3 tons and was used in a mission-essential upgrade of the ISS batteries, was released into space in March 2021 via the robotic arm Canadarm2 and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere after successfully serving on a key battery replacement project.
Reentry of space debris to Earth
Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, noted that not all of the structure would disintegrate upon re-entry into the atmosphere. It was estimated that approximately half a ton of debris would reach the Earth’s surface. This event marked the end of the orbital trajectory of this significant piece of space debris from the ISS, which had been gradually descending toward Earth, with its anticipated re-entry since March 8.
There had been speculation that fragments of the cargo might fall in Rhineland-Palatinate in western Germany or in other areas of the country. NASA indicated that this cargo platform is the largest mass object to be jettisoned from the Station to date, being twice as heavy as the ammonia service system tank jettisoned in 2007 by astronaut Clay Anderson.
The platform’s mission began with the objective of upgrading the ISS power system. In May 2020, a Japanese cargo vehicle transported her to the station with the equipment needed to replace the old nickel-hydrogen batteries with new lithium-ion batteries The new, more efficient lithium-ion batteries store the energy captured by the station’s solar panels.
It is important to mention that during six years, 48 nickel-hydrogen batteries have been replaced by 24 lithium-ion batteries in the ISS.
Undoubtedly, this event highlights the growing concern about space debris and its impact on the Earth, underlining the need for sustainable strategies for waste management in space exploration.
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Source: lagaceta.com.ar
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