Failed 1970s Venus Probe Could Crash to Earth This Year

space.com ^

[BenLurkin]

Cosmos 482 was a sister probe to Venera 8,which in July 1972 became the second craft to land successfully on the surface of Venus, said Don Mitchell, who studies Soviet space history and has a keen interest in that country's Venus exploration missions.

But Cosmos 482 got stranded in an Earth parking orbit, Mitchell told Space.com. Some hardware from that failed flight — a heavy frame of tanks and equipment that was jettisoned — fell into Earth's atmosphere in rather short order. But some remained aloft.

Still adrift around Earth, making one lap every 112 minutes, is the wayward Cosmos 482 Venus entry capsule, a contraption built to withstand the heat of diving into that cloud-veiled planet's thick atmosphere. The errant Venus lander mass is 1,091 lbs. (495 kilograms) and carries significant thermal protection.

And this piece of space junk will likely survive its inevitable descent back to its home planet, experts said.

Cosmos 482 is in an orbit that swings it out from Earth over 1,700 miles (2,735 km) away, but the low point, the perigee of the orbit, is just 125 miles (200 km) above our planet. Another rough estimate suggests that what's left of the failed Venus probe might stay up for another 2.5 years, even with such a low perigee.

[BenLurkin]

Of possible interest

[mad_as_he$$]

Nuclear powered?

[MrEdd]

It will fall burning like a silver flame...

[alexander_busek]

Someone, please post the iconic image from "The Six-Million-Dollar Man."

Regards,

[desertsolitaire]

My best recollection is that a returning, failed, Venus probe spacecraft was what set off the revival of corpses in the original Night of the Living Dead film. If so, dont say I never warned you.

[Larry Lucido]

So the Venetians have been waiting for their package for 47 years?

Danged Amazon package thieves. Robbing the Venetians blind!

[SunkenCiv]

Yeah, baby, you've got it.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Nuclear powered?

Most Russian craft of that era were.

[mad_as_he$$]

+.

[D_Idaho]

This has the potential to be a great SciFi movie. IMHO

[Army Air Corps]

If this was indeed a failed Venera probe, then it was not nuclear powered.

[Army Air Corps]

Luckily, the Venera probes were not nuclear powered. The orbiters were solar-powered, and the landers used battery power for their very short missions.

[Ezekiel]

But Cosmos 482 got stranded in an Earth parking orbit... Still adrift around Earth, making one lap every 112 minutes

You got us into this parking lot pal now you get us out.

You want out of this parking lot....OK

[ASOC]

Spacecraft

Lander

big enough to mess up your car if it hits...

[mad_as_he$$]

Good to know! But is it really what they say it is?

[TnTnTn]

With such an elliptical orbit looks like it would stand a good chance of getting slingshotted out of earth’s orbit....

[Army Air Corps]

But is it really what they say it is?

That is actually a good question, seeing as how the USSR denied knowledge of the launch. "Rocket? what rocket?" When pieces of the rocket descended upon New Zealand (Ashburton balls incident), examination revealed that the pieces were obviously of Soviet origin. The USSR denied that the fragments were theirs or that they had even launched the thing. It is generally accepted that Cosmos 482 is a failed Venera probe.

[Army Air Corps]

This mall has everything.