Van Allen Probe A: Final Plunge into Earth's Atmosphere

0:00This is Corey with Birmingham News Today, powered by the Daily News Now. NASA's Van Allen probe, a satellite is set to plunge back into Earth's atmosphere any time now. This 1,323-pound spacecraft, spend years studying the radiation belts that shield our planet from space weather. Officials expect reentry around 6.45 pm, central time on Tuesday, though it could happen up to 24 hours earlier or later. The probe launched in August 2012 alongside its twin, Van Allen probe B. Together, they gathered groundbreaking data on those radiation belts for nearly seven years. NASA wrapped up the mission in 2019 when the satellites ran out of fuel and couldn't point at the Sun anymore. The good news is, the risk to people on the ground stays very low, about 1 in 4,200. Most of the probe should burn up on the way down, even if a few sturdy parts make it through. Scientists still rely on that mission data today to track space weather effects.

1:00Earlier predictions put reentry in 2034, but things changed fast. This year's solar maximum brought stronger sun activity than expected, pumping up atmosphere drag and speeding things along. Meanwhile, Van Allen probe B should hold out until at least 2030. NASA keeps a close eye on these old explorers as they wrap up their final journeys. DNA is brought to you by our sponsor, Comfort, you can hear, sound you can relax into, S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com.