NASA's landmark ERBS satellite safely fell down near Alaska

The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS), sent into space in 1984, finally crashed to Earth. It went out of service more than 17 years ago and "returned" to our planet the day before.

Here's What We Know

ERBS was sent into space by the Challenger shuttle in 1984 and placed in orbit by the Canadarm robotic arm, operated by Sally Ride, the first female astronaut. The satellite was used to assess the absorption and reflection of solar energy by our planet.

Since 2005, ERBS has been out of service on a slow descent. On January 9 at 00:04 (EDT) or 21:04 (PDT), the spacecraft re-entered the atmosphere over the Coastal Sea. The wreckage of the satellite, which did not have time to burn up, crashed near Alaska. There was no information on damage or injury to people.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) estimated the odds of damage as 1 in over 9,000. Despite this, authorities did not deny that the satellite debris was a threat.

In the future, satellites will fall to Earth more often. This is due to new rules from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The regulator has ordered operators to remove spacecraft from orbit within 5 years after completion of operation (was 25 years), so that they do not pose a threat to active facilities. The only exceptions are satellites that are in geostationary orbit.

Source: Engadget