Oct 11, 2008

Destructive re-entry of Jules Verne spacecraft

Destructive re-entry of Jules Verne spacecraft
On September 29, 2008, ESA's Jules Verne spacecraft made a destructive re-entry over the Pacific Ocean. And the resut is the picture above. The spacecraft disintegrated, as designed, at an altitude of 75 kilometers over the uninhabited South Pacific. It's remaining parts safely landed in the heart of Pacific ocean.

Jules Verne spacecraft
Jules Verne ATV, or Automated Transfer Vehicle 001 (ATV-001), was an unmanned European cargo resupply spacecraft named after famous French science-fiction author Jules Verne. The spacecraft was launched on 9 March 2008 on a mission to supply the International Space Station (ISS) with propellant, water, air, and dry cargo. It docked to the ISS on 3 April 2008 after three weeks of testing. On 25 April 2008, Jules Verne also helped in reboosting the space station into a higher orbit. On 5 September 2008, it undocked from the station and manoeuvred to an orbital position 5 km below the ISS. It remained in that orbit until the night of 29 September, when it made the destructive re-entry, as planned.

Photo: ESA

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