. 24/7 Space News .
STATION NEWS
A Burial Plot for the International Space Station
by Staff Writers
Bethesda MD (SPX) Jun 21, 2016


If the ISS were abandoned and left to naturally de-orbit, the 1,000,000 pound spacecraft would eventually reenter the atmosphere, break up and scatter hundreds of pieces of debris with masses ranging from a few pounds to 100,000 pounds possibly into any of the many highly populated regions of the Earth.

Sometime in the next 10 years or so, ISS will be deorbited into a remote area of the Earth's surface. Most experts expect that location will be the South Pacific Ocean. The specific area is well-known as the "Spacecraft Cemetery." This area, about 2,400 miles southeast of Wellington, New Zealand, is the final resting place for many decommissioned satellites, including the Mir Space Station and many trash-filled Progress Cargo Modules.

This location was selected because it is remote, off the normal shipping lanes and reachable by reentering spacecraft returning from high-inclination orbits. Since Mir and ISS were placed in orbits with inclinations of about 51.6 degrees their flight paths overfly the South Pacific. Thus, by proper timing of a de-orbit burn, these vehicles will passively reenter and reach the Earth's surface in the desired area.

If the ISS were abandoned and left to naturally de-orbit, the 1,000,000 pound spacecraft would eventually reenter the atmosphere, break up and scatter hundreds of pieces of debris with masses ranging from a few pounds to 100,000 pounds possibly into any of the many highly populated regions of the Earth. Thus, a controlled de-orbit is a matter of international public safety.

There are no islands in the area of the "cemetery," and the nearest shores are thousands of miles away. This, combined with the fact that ship traffic is light in this region, make it an ideal place for spacecraft to plunge back to Earth. In fact, the cemetery is near Point Nemo, the location which is furthest from any land mass, at 48.4 degrees south latitude and 123.4 degrees west longitude. The nearest land is 1,600 miles south - Antarctica.

A recent catalog of wrecked spacecraft fragments at the cemetery would list some 145 Russian Progress modules, four Japanese HTV cargo ships, five of ESA's Automated Transfer Vehicles, six Russian Salyut space stations and one Russian Mir space station. Expect many more residents to arrive over the next decade as the ISS completes its multi-decade mission.


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


.


Related Links
Launchspace
Station at NASA
Station and More at Roscosmos
S.P. Korolev RSC Energia
Watch NASA TV via Space.TV
Space Station News at Space-Travel.Com






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

Previous Report
STATION NEWS
Cygnus space capsule departs International Space Station
Washington (AFP) June 14, 2016
Orbital ATK's unmanned Cygnus space capsule departed from the International Space Station on schedule Tuesday, three months after delivering 7,500 pounds (3,400 kilos) of supplies, material for scientific experiments and equipment to the orbiting outpost. Cygnus, loaded with two tons of trash, was released by the space station's robotic arm at 1330 GMT, NASA said. Once the spacecraft is ... read more


STATION NEWS
US may approve private venture moon mission: report

Fifty Years of Moon Dust

Airbus Defence and Space to guide lunar lander to the Moon

A new, water-logged history of the Moon

STATION NEWS
Musk explains his 'cargo route' to Mars

Remarkably diverse flora in Utah, USA, trains scientists for future missions on Mars

NASA Mars Orbiters Reveal Seasonal Dust Storm Pattern

Study of Opportunity Wheel Scuff Continues

STATION NEWS
TED Talks aim for wider global reach

Disney brings its brand to Shanghai with new theme park

Tech, beauty intersect in Silicon Valley

Second Starliner Begins Assembly in Florida Factory

STATION NEWS
Experts Fear Chinese Space Station Could Crash Into Earth

Bolivia to pay back loan to China for Tupac Katari satellite

China plans 5 new space science satellites

NASA Chief: Congress Should Revise US-China Space Cooperation Law

STATION NEWS
Cygnus space capsule departs International Space Station

Russian, US Astronauts to Return From ISS on June 18

Astronauts enter inflatable room at space station

First steps into BEAM will expand the frontiers of habitats for space

STATION NEWS
MUOS-5 satellite encapsulated for launch

Airbus Safran Launchers confirms the maturity of the Ariane 6 launcher

Russian Proton-M Rocket Puts US Intelsat DLA-2 Satellite Into Orbit

US Senate reaches compromise on Russian rocket engines

STATION NEWS
New planet is largest discovered that orbits 2 suns

Cloudy Days on Exoplanets May Hide Atmospheric Water

Likely new planet may be in slow death spiral

On exoplanets, atmospheric water may be hiding behind clouds

STATION NEWS
Fighting virtual reality sickness

Cereal science: How scientists inverted the Cheerios effect

Can computers do magic?

New maths accurately captures liquids and surfaces moving in synergy









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.