China's Tiangong-1 space station to fall back to Earth tomorrow
Two years after it went out of service, China's space agency, the Tiangong-1, is set to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere. It is expected to re-enter at 00:25 GMT on April 2 (6am IST), although the timing is "highly variable." Though China has no contact with the Tiangong-1, the European Space Agency (ESA) expects it to land anywhere from New Zealand to the midwestern US.
About China's "Heavenly Palace" in space
The Tiangong-1, also known as the "Heavenly Palace," entered orbit in 2011 and ended service in March'16, two years later than scheduled. It was the prototype for a manned station in 2022. The Tiangong-1 could host astronauts, but only for short periods of several days. Currently, the Tiangong-2 is in operation. China plans to have a third in orbit by 2022.
What do we know about the upcoming crash?
In 2016, China lost control of the Tiangong-1, so scientists can only estimate its behavior. But like most space bodies, a major part of the station is likely to burn up in the atmosphere. ESA says re-entry "will take place anywhere between 43ºN and 43ºS."
Spacecraft don't crash fiercely, but like a splendid meteor-shower: China
Dr Elias Aboutanios, deputy director of the Australian Center for Space Engineering Research, explained the station is coming closer to Earth. Its rate of descent "will get faster as the atmosphere the station is ploughing through gets thicker." Speeds can go upto 26,000kmph. At 100km above, it will start heating up. Most parts will burn, but some debris is likely to fall on Earth.
Can people be injured by falling debris?
There's no need to worry. Scientists say most of the 8.5-tonne station is likely to burn up before reaching Earth. Some dense parts might survive, but the likelihood of them hitting a person is "similar to the probability of being hit by lightning twice in the same year," said Holger Krag, head of ESA's space debris office.
Do all spacecraft behave similarly?
Unlike in the case of Tiangong-1, ground control generally retains influence on a falling spacecraft, deciding its course. There's a 1,500 sq ft area in the South Pacific, between Australia, New Zealand and South America, called the oceanic pole of inaccessibility, where most debris are directed. About 260 spacecraft are believed to have fallen there, mostly partially, in the farthest place from land.
