NASA’s ERBS satellite has been studying how the sun’s energy is absorbed and radiated by the earth. It was launched in 1984 and reentered the atmosphere this morning.
9 Jan
2023
– 8.01pm
(updated at 11:07pm)
Creation of the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS). NASA, re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere during the early hours of Monday (9). According to the space agency, the come back in it occurred at 1:04 am towards the Bering Sea and much of her structure was expected to be burned.
ERBS was launched by the space shuttle Challenger in October 1984. Part of the Earth Radiation Budget Experiment (ERBE) mission, comprising three satellites, ERBS aimed to study how solar energy was absorbed and radiated by the Earth. The satellite also studied the planet’s stratosphere with the Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II (SAGE II).
Update: @NASAThe retired Earth Radiation Budget Satellite re-entered Earth’s atmosphere over the Bering Sea at 11:04 p.m. EST on Sunday, January 8, the @DeptofDefense confirmed. https://t.co/j4MYQYwT7Z
— NASA Earth (@NASAEarth) January 9, 2023
SAGE II data confirmed that the brittle ozone layer, which protects the surface of our planet, was being scaled down on a global scale. Thus, the data helped create the Montreal Protocol, an agreement signed by dozens of countries that resulted in a significant decrease in the use of chlorofluorocarbons, compounds capable of destroying it. At the moment, SAGE III is active on the International Space Station, collecting data on the layer.
Originally, ERBS was designed to operate for only two years, but it remained active until 2005. During its activities, the satellite has conducted observations that have helped scientists measure the effects of human activity on the balance between energy that our planet receives and what is released.
NASA announced last week that the satellite was nearing its end as officials realized reentry was certain. At the time, the agency said the risk of any debris surviving its journey through the atmosphere and hitting someone on the ground was about 1 in 9,400.
The success of the ERBE mission helped NASA develop other projects, such as the Clouds and Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments.
Source: NASA
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