Soviet spacecraft to return to earth on Saturday, but no one knows exactly where it will crash

Remains of a spacecraft from the Soviet era are set to return to Earth on Saturday, May 10th, but no one knows exactly where they will land.

The Russian spacecraft Kosmos 482 was launched in 1972. The object survived for decades in low Earth orbit after the mission to Venus failed. The craft broke into four pieces, one of which, presumably the lander's probe, will re-enter our atmosphere on Saturday without burning up and will crash down to Earth.

Although it is unpredictable where it will land, the risk of damage is very small. Stijn Lemmens, a researcher at the European Space Agency ESA, told the BBC that the odds of being hit by the object, which is about one metre wide and weighs nearly half a ton, are much smaller than winning the lottery. Since the Earth's surface is mostly seas and oceans, it is likely that the object will fall into the sea.

(PP with DC - Source: BBC, NB - Picture: © Unsplash)