The science of breaking up via space station re-entry investigation
Friday, October 12, 2012 - 15:00
in Astronomy & Space
When an aerospace engineer says breaking up is hard to do, they are not referring to matters of the heart. Instead, they are looking at best practices for the breakup of large items returning from space to Earth. Understanding what happens during this process is the goal of the ReEntry Breakup Recorder, or REBR. This device hitched a ride on the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle-3, or ATV-3, as it departed the International Space Station and re-entered Earth's atmosphere on Oct 2, 2012.