International Space Station (ISS) will be phased out in a few years. The space station has been a refuge for scientific growth since its launch in the 1990s, but all good things must end. And, in the case of the ISS, it might be one of the most spectacular fireworks displays you'll ever witness.
So, what will happen when the International Space Station returns to Earth? Here are a few scenarios based on expert conjecture.
The Bigger An Object Is, The Harder It Falls
The International Space Station is not a tiny spacecraft. That's not even close. With a length of 356 feet end-to-end, it is the biggest man-made structure ever created. It is only one yard short of an entire NFL field, but it isn't the only thing that can be said about its enormous size.
It's so massive that it requires many launches to get it there: 42 to be precise, according to Space.com. Launching this 900,000 lbs (420,000 kg) item would be complicated. The Orbit Shuttle, which weighed 270,470 pounds and was the biggest object ever propelled into space, doesn't even come close.
This size and weight of an item will not survive re-entry intact. It will splinter into millions of bits. The smaller ones will disintegrate totally in the atmosphere, while the larger ones may survive and land anywhere on the Earth. It might be deadly since there's always the chance that debris would fall where people live, causing injury or even death.
Most massive spacecraft share the same fate - they burn up in Earth's atmosphere. Since ISS is so huge, it will likely suffer the same. It will die by fire when it falls from space and returns to the plane. As they say "what goes up must come down."
How to Control ISS Crash
According to Smithsonian Magazine, the space station will need to undertake unique maneuvers with its engines for "safe atmospheric arrival." Each maneuver will be carried out one by one, lowering the station from orbit to a single point. The station's fall will be "more predictable" at this one site.
If all goes according to plan, the International Space Station's descent onto Earth will take it near Point Nemo, popularly known as the "space cemetery." It's a location in the Pacific Ocean with absolutely no life and is so remote from civilization that the only humans who have ever been close to it were ISS astronauts. According to CBS News, the catastrophe will occur in 2031.
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Skylab's Shadow
Before the International Space Station, Skylab existed. It was the United States' first-ever space station. However, the station's downfall was far from planned, and its impact on people on the ground was unexpected.
According to History, NASA predicted a vast 4,598-mile probable debris field from the Skylab fall, encompassing a portion of Australia and the Indian Ocean. Even those who were well outside the debris field's radius were terrified. Not just because of the risk of Skylab colliding with Earth, but also because of the potential for harmful elements to be distributed when debris lands, such as when a Soviet satellite suddenly landed in Canada in January 1978, scattering radioactive uranium.
As a result, several people in the English county of Devon opted to take refuge in a cave. Authorities in Brussels, Belgium, activated over 1,200 air raid sirens in preparation for the arrival of Skylab debris on their soil.
However, if all goes according to plan, the International Space Station's crash landing will be less risky (and terrifying) than Skylab's. When the crucial day approaches, that shadow will still remain in the air.
It won't be long before successors take over the ISS when it ultimately retires. Several private companies are already planning to send their own space stations into orbit.
According to the BBC, Axiom Space was given a contract by NASA to build at least one new crew module for the International Space Station.
Of course, this includes other current space race leaders such as Elon Musk's SpaceX, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, and maybe even Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic.
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