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1 revisions for "When the Sky Falls: NASA's Van Allen Probe A Crashes to Earth, Raising Questions About the Growing Space Debris Problem"

Anonymous23 days ago

NASA's defunct Van Allen Probe A, weighing 1,323 pounds, made an uncontrolled reentry into Earth's atmosphere on March 11, 2026, splashing down over the eastern Pacific Ocean near the Galapagos Islands. The reentry — which came eight years earlier than expected due to intense solar activity — exceeded NASA's own safety risk threshold of 1-in-10,000, calculated at approximately 1-in-4,200, highlighting the escalating challenge of orbital debris management as launch activity surges worldwide.