09-20-2008, 02:19 AM
Mumbai (PTI): The European spacecraft 'Jules Verne' which recently spent five months docked to the International Space Station for delivering supplies, will plunge into Earth's atmosphere on September 29, according to National Space and Aeronautical Administration (NASA).
The 22-tonne 'Jules Verne' is about to become a fireball and on September 29, with NASA aircraft looking on, will plunge into Earth's atmosphere over the south Pacific Ocean and harmlessly disintegrate, NASA scientists said in Friday's alert news.
Jules Verne recently spent five months docked to the space station where it delivered supplies, used its engines help the station avoid a piece of space junk, and served as an impromptu bedroom for the ISS crew.
Mission was accomplished, and the doomed spacecraft is now making its final orbits around Earth glowing about as brightly as Polaris (the North Star).
US and European observers are favoured with flybys this weekend. Those interested to see Jules Verne can see the, website http://spaceweather.com/flybys.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008...200306.htm
The 22-tonne 'Jules Verne' is about to become a fireball and on September 29, with NASA aircraft looking on, will plunge into Earth's atmosphere over the south Pacific Ocean and harmlessly disintegrate, NASA scientists said in Friday's alert news.
Jules Verne recently spent five months docked to the space station where it delivered supplies, used its engines help the station avoid a piece of space junk, and served as an impromptu bedroom for the ISS crew.
Mission was accomplished, and the doomed spacecraft is now making its final orbits around Earth glowing about as brightly as Polaris (the North Star).
US and European observers are favoured with flybys this weekend. Those interested to see Jules Verne can see the, website http://spaceweather.com/flybys.
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/008...200306.htm