NASA is considering deliberately crashing the International Space Station into the sea in the next ten years.
According to the amended plan announced Monday by NASA, the ISS would deorbit in January 2031 and fall into an uninhabited area of the South Pacific Ocean at Point Nemo, dubbed a "spacecraft cemetery."
Meanwhile, the 925,335-pound space laboratory will continue to operate until 2030, according to a pledge made by the Biden administration and revealed last month by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
"The International Space Station is a beacon of peaceful international scientific collaboration and for more than 20 years has returned enormous scientific, educational and technological developments to benefit humanity," Nelson said in a NASA blog at the time.
NASA Transition Plan In Deorbiting ISS By 2031
According to The Independent, NASA has released an updated version of its "transition plan," which includes the attempt to shift away from Nasa's operation of the International Space Station and toward private and commercial missions.
This plan outlines the work that will be necessary to keep it operational over the next decade and lay the groundwork for the future space economy. On the basis of NASA's investigation, it also states that Nasa has "high confidence that ISS life can be further extended until 2030."
However, it also explains how it will be eliminated if it is no longer helpful. The plan recognizes that its lifespan will end at some point because the safety of its occupants is contingent on a variety of components that is secure.
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How NASA Would 'Safely' Deorbit ISS
Sky News said the orbiting height would be gradually reduced from its present altitude of 253 miles (408 kilometers) in the ideal situation.
As the ISS descends in height, it will come into contact with a denser environment, increasing drag and pulling it further lower.
The space station will continue to move at such a high speed that it will heat up and hurl debris in a trail behind it.
The aim is for the ISS to fall into an empty area of the South Pacific Ocean at Point Nemo, preventing the debris from harming people or property.
Point Nemo has been dubbed a "spacecraft cemetery" since it is the furthest point on Earth from any land, and it is where decommissioned spacecraft are usually directed upon returning to Earth.
However, there are obstacles to overcome. Higher solar activity, NASA cautions, would expand the Earth's atmosphere, increasing the resistance to the space station's velocity, causing it to slow and fall faster, perhaps missing its target.
As the ISS reaches Point Nemo, its crew will fire its thrusters, as well as the thrusters of several other vehicles still tethered to it, one last time to give it the last shove into the water.
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