Astronauts aboard the International Space Station had a front-row seat to watch rare atmospheric “fireworks.”
On Wednesday (November 29), Russia’s Progress MS-23 cargo spacecraft departed from the International Space Station (ISS), carrying a large amount of junk that was no longer needed by the orbiting outpost. Specifically, according to Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, the spacecraft was loaded with “old equipment, household waste, or anything that experts decided to discard from the station.” That’s what it means. Said This was reported by the Russian media TASS.
Just four hours after Progress MS-23 undocked, NASA astronaut Jasmine Moghbeli spotted the spacecraft as it reentered, successfully photographed it burning up in Earth’s atmosphere, and flew away from the ISS. Some great photos were taken.
“I woke up earlier than I expected, and I could only see it for about two or three minutes. It reminded me a little of fireworks, especially when they broke apart,” Mogbeli said. I wrote to X (Old Twitter) Wednesday. “Thanks to those on the ground for showing me where to look!”
Related: Russian cargo spacecraft returns to Earth after mission
The spacecraft and most of its contents were incinerated above Earth, but some material fell into the Pacific Ocean, Russian space agency Roscosmos said. report on wednesday.
Such violent re-entry is standard practice for non-reusable cargo ships departing from the ISS. Two of the three spacecraft currently used to deliver cargo, Russia’s Progress capsule and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft, are routinely disposed of in the atmosphere after delivering supplies. The station’s docking port requires space for new cargo deliveries.
However, the third spacecraft currently being used to transport these cargoes, SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, can safely splash down and return home for future reuse.
Another Progress spacecraft is scheduled to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, December 1 at 4:25 a.m. ET (9:25 GMT) and will be the first spacecraft currently stationed at the space station. It carries three tons of food, fuel, and other supplies for the pilots and astronauts. As part of the 70th Expeditionary Mission.
Docking is scheduled for Sunday (December 3) at 6:14 a.m. EDT (11:14 GMT). When the time is right, watch the launch and docking action on Space.com.