After 53 Soviet probe has been in orbit for years “Cosmos-482” fell into the Indian Ocean. The disaster of the apparatus caused a hype in the media, Since he could fall into the inhabited territory. Before falling the probe still flew over Europe.
Soviet automatic station “Cosmos-482” left Earth's orbit and fell into the Indian Ocean off the coast of Indonesia. I reported about it “Roscosmos” on Saturday, 10 May. Probe diameter 1 meter and weighs a little less 500 kg was launched in March 1972 year for the study of Venus. But due to a malfunction, it remained in Earth's orbit and began to slowly approach the planet. This process took 53 years.
The day before, the European Space Agency made a map of the possible trajectories of the accident “Cosmos-482”. Some of them passed through Germany. This caused a stir in the German media. “Carefully, a Soviet probe falls from above”, - titled the article about “Cosmos-482” newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung. “Some areas of Germany are in the danger zone”, - warned the newspapers Münchner Merkur and Frankfurter Rundschau.
The t-online portal wrote, що найпівнічніша можлива точка падіння – німецьке місто Магдебург. Як заявили в бундесвері, там “не очікують, що зонд приземлиться у Німеччині”. Але повністю виключити це було не можна, the military said. At the Technical University of Braunschweig, they also urged not to worry.
As reported 10 May German agency dpa, minutes before the drop on Saturday “Cosmos-482” still flew over Germany. It happened between 06:30 and 08:04 Berlin time. According to “Roscosmos”, the device entered the dense layers of the atmosphere 09:24 behind Moscow, after which he fell.