Washington. The journey of NASA's 22-year-old telescope Swift, which fell from space to Earth, ended on Wednesday. This spacecraft, which studies the powerful explosions of the universe and the mysteries of black holes, became a ball of fire as soon as it entered the Earth's atmosphere and was destroyed over Indonesia. It is a matter of relief that there is no news of any loss of life or property due to its fall.
According to NASA, 'Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory' entered the Earth's atmosphere over North Sumatra province of Indonesia at 6:09 pm Indian time on Wednesday. At that time its speed was about 22 times more than the speed of sound. Most of this telescope, weighing about 1,452 kg, was burnt and destroyed due to the extreme heat and friction generated during entry into the atmosphere.
Sent for a mission of just two years, this telescope worked in space for about 22 years and provided scientists with many important information related to the universe. With this, a long chapter of study of astronomical phenomena like powerful gamma-ray bursts and black holes came to an end.
NASA made efforts till the last moment to keep the telescope in space and extend its lifespan. However, the operation to save him could not succeed. Its return to Earth came less than three months after a rescue mission to extend its lifespan failed.
The space agency had already described the potential danger from its debris as very low. According to NASA estimates, the chance of someone on Earth being injured by its debris was only one in 2,100. Scientists feared that some parts of the telescope would not be completely destroyed in the atmosphere and might reach the ground in small pieces.
According to Reuters report, Dean Sladen, an aerospace engineer at British company AQ Components, said that only some small and burnt pieces of the telescope were expected to reach the Earth. He said satellites of this size regularly reenter the atmosphere. In the nearly 70-year history of space flights, there has been no case of human death due to falling space debris.