The Chinese space station can fall freely to Earth

Experts are debating the time and location of China's Thien Cung 1 space station falling freely to Earth.

According to Space.com, Thomas Dorman, who specializes in recording spaceship flights with telescopes, binoculars and cameras, thinks China may have lost control of Thien Cung 1, the space station. the driver weighs 8 tons.

"If my reasoning is correct, China will wait until the last minute before officially announcing the issue. If the spacecraft's fragments fall into the residential area, the consequences will be very bad but also possible. it will fall into the sea or an uninhabited place, " Dorman said.

While Chinese authorities have not confirmed the end of Thien Cung 1's operation, some experts believe the spacecraft could return to Earth in a controlled manner.

Thien Cung 1 Station is a stepping stone for China to bring the larger spacecraft complex to Earth orbit in 2020. Thien Cung 1 is used to conduct pairing activities in a series of tasks, including missions. Than Chau 8 unmanned driver in 2011, the task of Shen Chau 9 and 10 has a driver in 2012 and 2013.

Thien Cung 1 Station on Earth orbit.(Photo: Wordpress).

The Than Chau 10 ship returned to Earth in June 2013, marking the end of the pairing activities on Thien Cung 1. Thien Cung station then entered the operation management phase, undergoing many changes in flight mode, maintenance maneuvers on orbit and other activities.

According to the China Aerospace Engineering Agency (CMSE), Thien Cung 1 station is also equipped with equipment to observe the Earth and the space exploration machine. Thien Cung 1 has many applications and provides valuable scientific data on the study of mineral resources, oceans and forests, hydrological and ecological environmental monitoring, land use and urban thermal environmental monitoring. and disaster control in an emergency.

However, at the beginning of the year, CMSE stopped the data collection activities of Thien Cung 1. CMSE leaders said that remote connection with the lost space station indicated the possibility that the ship would fall freely in the future. hybrid

Dorman shared his observations reinforcing this ability. Dean Cheng, a scholar at the Heritage Research Center in Washington DC, in the United States, has similar views.

Cheng was surprised when the Chinese authorities did not publish the exact time Thien Cung 1 station returned to Earth, although the operation phase of the station ended."It shows that the space station does not seem to be leaving orbit under control , " Cheng said.

Some other experts expressed conflicting opinions. Dr. Kelso, cosmodynamic researcher at the Space Initiative and Standards Center (CSSI) in Colorado, USA, tracks the elevation record of Thien Cung 1 station since the launch until recently. According to Kelso, the station's trajectory is raised higher in mid-December 2015.

Kelso said there is no direct measurement of the stability of Thien Cung 1 station. "If the station is falling, the station's drop rate increases. However, we find that the speed reduction is at the lowest level. in recent years, corresponding to lower drag at higher altitudes , " Kelso commented.

Kelso's data indicate that Thien Cung 1 station is not working but still stable."That may be the reason China has not yet spoken. Based on the latest tracking information, if it does not continue to rise, the Chinese spacecraft will return to Earth around the end of 2017 , " Kelso predicted. .

China is planning to launch the next space station, Thien Cung 2, in September this year. As expected, the spaceship manned by Than Chau 11 will pair with Thien Cung 2 a month later.