I mean will it crash or is it in a permanent orbit etc
2007-10-30 04:49:49 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
yes.it will break apart and mostly burn up during re-entry
2007-10-30 04:53:32 · answer #1 · answered by glenn t 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The space station, and indeed everything in orbit is being pulled towards Earth.
They only reason they dont crash is because their forward speed is so high that they quite literally miss the Earth.
The shuttle returns to Earth by doing a de-orbit burn to slow down and gradually descend.
So all astronauts and cosmonauts do is fall with style for a week, they dont float.
As to whether the ISS will crash, if its orbit isnt maintained, yes. Space isnt a vacuum, there is a suprising amount of Hydrogen particles. This Hydrogen, coupled with rubbish from spacecraft and even light and the extremely rarified atmosphere will slow the ISS over time. Once it slows enough it will re-enter the atmosphere properly.
And yes light does slow things down, only an imeasurable amount per photon, but spend enough time over years flyining into intense light and it adds up.
2007-10-30 15:30:44 · answer #2 · answered by futuretopgun101 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ISS is in a low Earth orbit; its altitude varies from 320 km to 425 km above the surface of the Earth. At that height, there is still enough atmospheric drag to eventually bring it down. Left to itself, it sinks about 2.5 km per month. So the controllers have to boost it up to a higher orbit every few months.
At some time in the future, at least 8 years from now, the ISS will have to be deorbited into a safe place in the Pacific Ocean. NASA has several plans for doing this.
2007-10-30 12:17:11 · answer #3 · answered by morningfoxnorth 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the International Space Station is constantly being pulled towards earth. right now it is at an orbit altitude of ~220 (give or take a few miles)miles above Earths surface, and without regular reboosts from the Soyuz spacecraft and the shuttle (when the shuttle's docked) it's orbit will eventually decay enough that gravity takes over and it burns up in earth's atmosphere. the reaspn that it is being kept in orbit is because it is traveling at a speed of 17500 mph.
2007-10-30 16:38:10 · answer #4 · answered by mcdonaldcj 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What everyone above says is true.
The only thing I'll add is, it's the rocket engine on one of the the Progress (Soyuz) spacecraft that happens to be docked to the station at the time, that does the actual boosting (when it is needed).
On rare occasion the shuttle OMS engines have also been used (when the shuttle is docked) to boost the ISS back into a higher (normal) orbit.
Left on its own (without regular boosts) the station would have already deorbited a few years ago. The station will remain on orbit (permanently) only as long as we want it to be.
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2007-10-30 12:42:26 · answer #5 · answered by tlbs101 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its orbit is way too low to be permanent. The atmosphere does not really have a "top". It just gets thinner and thinner as you go higher and higher. At many thousands of miles altitude it is thinner than the solar wind, and so you are truly outside Earth's atmosphere then. But the space station has to orbit quite low to stay below the Van Allen radiation belts, and at that altitude there is enough of the upper atmosphere present to cause a small amount of drag that constantly lowers the orbit. It has to be re-boosted every few months.
2007-10-30 11:57:50 · answer #6 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's always pulled towards the Earth by gravity. What else would keep it in orbit, a long string? It's linear momentum keeps it from falling too soon. It has rockets to boost its orbit if necessary.
2007-10-31 22:51:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is regularly re boosted to a higher orbit when it gets too near Earth. If left on its own, it would definitely crash back to Earth. It flies low and is dragging the top layers of atmosphere as it goes.
2007-10-30 12:25:28 · answer #8 · answered by Owl Eye 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It will crash eventually.
It is in low Earth orbit, 319.6 km to 346.9 km. At that distance it encounters aerodynamic drag from the exteme upper atmoshere. That drag causes it to lose velocity, which in turn causes it to drop in orbit. Eventually it will fall out of orbit completely unless it gets a boost.
It's expected that the Station will remain in operation until around 2016.
2007-10-30 11:53:36 · answer #9 · answered by RationalThinker 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it will happen.
Right now, every so often, it must be re-boosted to it's optimum orbit (about 290 miles). It has been as low as 270 miles, and as high as 310.
2007-10-30 12:08:02 · answer #10 · answered by quantumclaustrophobe 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
permanate is a very long time. It is being pulled all the time.
2007-10-30 14:59:53 · answer #11 · answered by JOHNNIE B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋