Remember the Ozone hole? The satellite that spotted it just caused a space junk scare
A defunct weather-monitoring satellite came crashing back to Earth over the weekend, and reentered the atmosphere over the Bering Sea, the US Department of DefenseLaunched in 1984, the spacecraft was part of NASA's Earth Radiation Budget Experiment mission, and studied how the Sun impacts Earth's climate. The 5,400-pound device was designed to operate for two years, but continued to record data until it was finally retired after a series of hardware failures in 2005.
After spending nearly four decades in space, the dead satellite plummeted back to Earth on 8 January at 1104 EST . Most of the components were destroyed by the heat and friction of reentry, but South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT nonetheless warned residents to watch for falling chunks of satellite.
Officials later said the satellite was"believed to have passed over the Korean Peninsula, and no special damage has been reported so far,"The ERBE-sat measured how much solar energy the Earth absorbed and emitted back to outer space, and analysed chemical compounds in the stratosphere. The craft helped confirm the breakdown of Earth's ozone layer, a protective part of the atmosphere that absorbs most of the Sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.
"The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II on the [ERB satellite] ... collected important data that confirmed the ozone layer was declining on a global scale," NASA said."That data helped shape the international Montreal Protocol Agreement, resulting in a dramatic decrease around the globe in the use of ozone-destroying chlorofluorocarbons. Today, SAGE III on the International Space Station collects data on the health of the ozone layer.
The agreement came into effect in 1989 and urged countries to stop producing substances containing chlorofluorocarbons, that were often found in refrigerant gases and used as propellants in aerosol sprays, since the molecules readily interacted with ozone.
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Earth's protective ozone layer 'on track' to recover by 2066, according to UNPaul Newman, co-chair of the scientific assessment, added that the two chief chemicals that 'munch away' at the ozone - bromine and chlorine - have 'stopped growing' and levels are 'coming down,' another testament to the effectiveness of the Protocol
Read more »
Ozone Hole Over Antarctica Could Fully Heal by 2066, Says U.N. ReportEarth’s protective ozone layer is slowly but noticeably healing at a pace that would fully mend the hole over Antarctica in about 43 years, a new United Nations report says
Read more »
Ozone layer may be restored in decades, UN report saysA global agreement in 1987 to ban chemicals harming the ozone layer is working, scientists say.
Read more »
The race to save Japan's incredible '80s PC gaming history before it's goneSquare, Enix, and Game Arts: 3 origin stories from Japan's PC boom, from inside the Game Preservation Society's archive.
Read more »
Take a look around an 80s city record shop opened by Depeche ModeVinyl and casettes are now having something of a revival
Read more »