Friday, March 24, 2023

And... That Busted Soyuz MS-22 Module Will De-Orbit (Uncrewed) And Drop Into The High Desert of Kazakhstan, On Tuesday, March 28, 2023...


Just some more space-science related "clean up", on Aisle MS-22.

You'll no doubt recall that this craft was spewing its coolant into space, back in late November, and was deemed a hazard to burn up on re-entry, so a replacement craft was ferried up to the International Space Station. Now Russia is ready for it to come home, on auto-pilot.

Or, at least, that's the hope. But as it speeds into the increasing friction of the atmosphere, it is possible, and maybe even likely. . . that its circuits and even the back-up analog altimeter will all burn up, and thus the chute will never be commanded to. . . open. Here's NASA's latest on it all:

. . .The uncrewed Roscosmos Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft will undock from the International Space Station on Tuesday, March 28.

The spacecraft will depart the space station’s Rassvet module at 5:57 a.m. EDT, heading for an automated, parachute-assisted landing in Kazakhstan at 7:45 a.m. (5:45 p.m. Kazakhstan time).

NASA will provide coverage of the undocking and departure from the station beginning at 5:30 a.m. on NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website.

[But] there will be no televised coverage of the deorbit burn or Soyuz landing. The station blog will be updated after the events occur. . . .


I supsect it might not land under parachute -- it may come in dead stick, and hot. And that would mean it will all burn up, and break apart, over Kazakhstan. But we shall see. Onward, and it looks like next week for any Tangerine indictment. Yikes.

नमस्ते

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