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NASA's 38-year-old ERBS anticipated to drop from sky on this day; check details

According to NASA, there is a 1-in-9,400 chance of being injured by falling debris. The satellite is expected to land on Sunday night, give or take 17 hours. However, the California-based Aerospace Corp. has aimed for Monday morning, give or take 13 hours.

NASAs 38-year-old ERBS anticipated to drop from sky on this day; check details - adt
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First Published Jan 7, 2023, 3:21 PM IST

A 38-year-old retired NASA satellite is about to fall from the sky and the chances of wreckage falling on anyone are 'extremely low,' according to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The space agency further added the majority of the 5,400-pound (2,450-kilogram) satellite would burn up on reentry. However, some pieces are expected to survive.

 

There is a 1-in-9,400 chance of being injured by falling debris, according to NASA. The satellite is expected to land on Sunday night, give or take 17 hours, said the Defense Department.

However, the California-based Aerospace Corp. has aimed for Monday morning, give or take 13 hours, along a route that will take it over Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the westernmost areas of North and South America. 

The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) was launched aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1984. Despite having a two-year expected working life, the satellite continued to collect ozone and other atmospheric measurements until its retirement in 2005. The satellite investigated how the Earth absorbed and radiated solar energy.

Challenger gave the satellite a special sendoff. Sally Ride, America's first woman in space, used the shuttle's robot arm to place the satellite into orbit. That same mission featured the first spacewalk by a woman from the United States, Kathryn Sullivan. It was the first time two female astronauts flew together in space. It was Ride's second and final spaceflight before her death in 2012.

Also read: Spalshdown! NASA's Orion capsule returns to Earth after 25-day lunar flight

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