On February 28, the US Department of Defense monitored the NASA probe launched as part of the TIMED mission, which was to pass the Russian satellite Cosmos 2221 at a short distance. As reported by the US space agency, a possible collision of objects could produce huge amounts of space debris.
An American probe narrowly avoided a collision with a Russian satellite
According to NASA data, the American space probe and the Russian satellite Cosmos 2221 were to pass each other at an altitude of 600 kilometers around 7:30 a.m. Polish time. Both spacecraft are unable to maneuver, so the agency issued a statement about a potential collision. If the objects collided with each other, it would destroy them and also generate a significant amount of space debris. Additionally, it could also potentially trigger further collisions with other objects in orbit.
Hours after the threat was announced, the Department of Defense confirmed that a NASA space probe and a Russian satellite had passed each other safely in orbit. The US space agency confirmed that TIMED works. “The two unmaneuverable satellites will approach each other again, but this was their closest passage in the current projected orbital arrangements,” NASA emphasized.
What is TIMED’s mission?
As part of the TIMED mission, scientists are examining the impact of the Sun and human activity on the least explored and understood area of the Earth’s atmosphere, i.e. the mesosphere and lower thermosphere/ionosphere. “This region is the gateway between Earth and space, where solar energy is first deposited in the Earth’s environment,” NASA reports. The TIMED mission was launched in 2001. Since then, data collected by the project has given scientists insight into changes occurring in the upper atmosphere. – TIMED continues to make important contributions to understanding how changes in the upper atmosphere – over time ranging from days to decades – are linked to what happens in the lower atmosphere – John McCormack.
Source: Gazeta
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