NASA and Elon Musk's company outlined the plan to burn the space station up on reentry and plunge what's left into the ocean, ideally at the beginning of 2031 when it hits the 32-year mark.
The space agency rejected other options, like taking the station apart and bringing everything home or handing the keys to someone else.
NASA gave SpaceX a $843 million contract to bring down the station - the biggest structure ever built off the planet.
Here's a rundown on the work and challenges ahead:
WHY GET RID OF THE SPACE STATION?
The space station is already is showing signs of age. Russia and the U.S. launched the first pieces in late 1998, and astronauts moved in two years later. Europe and Japan added their own segments, and Canada provided robotic arms. By the time NASA’s shuttles retired in 2011, the station had grown to the size of a football field, with a mass of nearly 1 million pounds (430,000 kilograms). NASA figures the station will last until at least 2030. The goal is for private companies to launch their own space stations by then, with NASA serving as one of many customers. That strategy — already in place for station cargo and crew deliveries — will free NASA up to focus on moon and Mars travel. NASA could decide to extend the station’s life, too, if no commercial outposts are up there yet. The aim is to have an overlap so scientific research is not interrupted.
WHY NOT BRING IT BACK TO EARTH?
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 27, 2024 من Techlife News.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 27, 2024 من Techlife News.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
OFFSHORE WIND INDUSTRY SAYS 'MISINFORMATION' FROM FOES IS A STRONG HEADWIND IT MUST FIGHT
The U.S offshore wind energy industry says it needs to fight back against disinformation being spread by opponents of wind farms.
HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SCAMMERS OFFERING FAKE JOBS
Between finding openings, sending out your resume and interviewing, looking for a job is tough. Now a growing trend of scammers impersonating recruiters is making it even harder.
HOW TO PREPARE YOUR BODY AND MIND FOR THE END OF DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
The good news: You will get a glorious extra hour of sleep. The bad: It’ll be dark as a pocket by late afternoon for the next few months in the U.S.
IN 'IBELIN' AND 'GRAND THEFT HAMLET,' VIDEO GAME REALMS DRAW FILMMAKERS WITH VIRTUAL CAMERAS
Film productions often wrestle with shifts in the weather, the threat of the crew going into overtime or the fading of a day’s light. Less common are concerns over the cast slipping off the top of a blimp.
RESEARCHERS SAY AN AI-POWERED TRANSCRIPTION TOOL USED IN HOSPITALS INVENTS THINGS NO ONE EVER SAID
Tech behemoth OpenAI has touted its artificial intelligence-powered transcription tool Whisper as having near “human level robustness and accuracy.”
WORLD SERIES GAME 3 AVERAGES 13.64 MILLION.BEATS 'MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL'
The World Series beat “Monday Night Football” in the battle for television viewers.
FITNESS APP STRAVA GIVES AWAY LOCATION OF BIDEN, TRUMP AND OTHER LEADERS, FRENCH NEWSPAPER SAYS
An investigation by French newspaper Le Monde found that the highly confidential movements of U.S. President Joe Biden, presidential rivals Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and other world leaders can be easily tracked online through a fitness app that their bodyguards use.
GOOGLE'S MONEYMAKING MACHINE STILL PUMPING OUT MASSIVE PROFITS DESPITE MULTIPLE THREATS
Google is still thriving while the company navigates through a pivotal shift to artificial intelligence and battles regulators trying to topple its internet empire.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. SAYS HE 'INTENDS TO SUE' ALL FUTURE EXECUTIVES WHO USE HIS AI REPLICA
Robert Downey Jr. doesn’t think Marvel executives would ever recreate his portrayal of Tony Stark using artificial intelligence. But if they did, he would lawyer up — even posthumously.
APPLE LAUNCHES THE IPHONE INTO THE AI ERA WITH FREE SOFTWARE UPDATE
Apple is releasing a free software update that will inject its first dose of artificial intelligence into its iPhone 16 lineup as the trendsetting company tries to catch up with technology’s latest craze.