The Earth flying fragments of a giant Soviet satellite

The satellite “Molniya-1-44” launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome on July 31, 1979

Spent Soviet satellite “Molniya-1-44” began to accelerate its decline and, on October 19, he can fall to the Ground.

Experts suggest that October 19 is not burned in the dense layers of the atmosphere the satellite debris can reach the Earth’s surface. The mass of the satellite is 1500 pounds.

It is believed that the wreckage will collapse in the South Atlantic about 500 km West of Rio de Janeiro.

Previously it was assumed that a fall can occur on 28 October.

At the same time, academician of the Russian Academy of cosmonautics Alexander Zheleznyakov believes that the satellite will almost completely burn up in the atmosphere: “Satellites “Molniya” were run in large batches, and therefore descend from orbit quite often. Usually they are destroyed in the atmosphere. To the Ground unable to fly only fragments weighing about 500 grams.”

As is known, the satellite “Molniya-1-44” launched from the Plesetsk cosmodrome using rocket “Lightning” July 31, 1979. He worked on a highly elliptical orbit.

We will remind, according to NASA, 1957, when there was the first uncontrolled fall of the satellite, the earth’s atmosphere consists of more than 20 thousand of such objects, but neither one of them, according to official data, no harm to the inhabitants of the Earth. For example, in 2015 a large piece of space debris under the code WT1190F, which is a fragment of spent stages of the rocket fell in the southern part of the island of Sri Lanka.

In addition, about a quarter of the craters of the moon can be filled with fragments of asteroids colliding with the Moon at low speed, not fragments of lunar soil and rocks, as previously thought

paradox