Chinese space station to crash back to Earth
There are currently more than 500,000 pieces of space junk being tracked as they orbit Earth. Space junk, or debris, consists of bits of metal, disused satellites and even a space station that is no longer in use, all of it circling the planet. Now, this space station is about to fall to Earth.
Tiangong-1 was China’s first space station. It launched in 2011, but the country lost contact with it in March 2016 and, later that year, Chinese officials confirmed that the 3.5-metre-wide object would return to Earth.
At the moment, scientists don’t know exactly where or when the space station will enter the planet’s atmosphere, but believe it will be between 30 March and 2 April. There is no need to worry, though. While scientists can’t say where it will land, there is very little chance that the space station will hit a populated area. This is because most of it will burn up in Earth’s atmosphere – an envelope of gases that protect the planet. Also, because most of Earth is covered in water, scientists think that if there is any debris, it will fall straight into the sea.
As the predicted landing date gets closer, scientists will be able to determine where it will fall and – if necessary – steps will be taken to keep people safe. A statement by Aerospace, a US company that advises the US government about space travel, said, “In the history of spaceflight, no known person has ever been harmed by re-entering space debris.”
One thing scientists are confident of, though, is that wherever it enters the atmosphere, the debris will create a spectacular fireball for anyone lucky enough to see it.