A fragment of a Soviet spacecraft that malfunctioned en route to Venus more than 50 years ago is expected to crash back to Earth as early as this week.
Kosmos 482, launched in 1972 as part of the Soviet Union’s Venera program, failed to escape Earth’s orbit due to a launch failure. The spacecraft’s descent module, a titanium-encased capsule built to withstand the surface of Venus, has been orbiting the Earth ever since. It is projected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere between May 7-13.
Rice University experts are available to discuss spacecraft reentry, visibility and related topics including artificial intelligence (AI).
Space physics and reentry
Patricia Reiff, professor of physics and astronomy and the associate director for outreach programs at the Rice Space Institute, can speak on Kosmos 482’s orbital decay, its space environment, the likelihood of it surviving reentry and historical context. She can explain the physics behind its reentry, the role of space weather and how similar events have played out in the past.
Impending impact
Patrick Hartigan, professor of physics and astronomy, can discuss the impending impact of the Soviet-era probe. His research areas include telescopes, astronomy, stellar jets and objects in the night sky.
AI and space tracking
Sanjoy Paul, lecturer in computer science and executive director of Rice Nexus, Rice’s innovation factory and AI accelerator, can discuss how AI helps organizations like NASA, SpaceX and other space startups track space debris, predict reentry paths and avoid collisions. His expertise highlights the growing role of AI in space safety, autonomous control and decision-making, autonomous maintenance and exploration, mission control and more.
To schedule an interview with Rice’s experts, contact Marcy de Luna, media relations specialist, at marcy.deluna@rice.edu, Alex Becker, media relations specialist, at alex.becker@rice.edu, or Chris Stipes, executive director of news and media relations, at chris.stipes@rice.edu.