The International Space Station (ISS) is currently a problematic object in orbit. It suffers from cracks, coolant and air leaks, and just age, since it is already 25 years old. This makes the ISS a dangerous place for astronauts to stay. NASA has decided to “safely and under control” lower the ISS into the Earth’s atmosphere in 2031, where part of it will burn up, with the aim of sinking its debris into the Pacific Ocean. Some experts are beginning to question how safe this deadly plunge will be, since it could end up polluting the Earth’s air and water. The ISS’s controlled dive zone is located within the South Pacific Ocean, where there are no human settlements. This area is farther from land than any other point on Earth and is often referred to as the world’s largest spacecraft graveyard. However, the planned end of the ISS’s life is causing concern among scientists. Some researchers believe that debris from the station could heavily pollute the water and air as it descends through the atmosphere and falls into the ocean. NASA announced that it has selected SpaceX to develop a spacecraft that will help deorbit the International Space Station. The contract is worth nearly $850 million. NASA believes this is the best option for a controlled and safe disposal of the orbital station. Leonard Schulz of the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany says that given the ISS’s mass (450 tonnes), the Earth’s atmosphere could be contaminated with huge amounts of harmful substances when the station burns up due to intense heat from friction with the air. The ISS is the largest space station ever built. Its primary purpose is to perform microgravity and space environment experiments. Luciano Anselmo of the Institute of Information Sciences and Technology in Pisa, Italy, believes that there is also some risk to ocean water, as it could be contaminated by debris from the ISS. But he says that even if the entire mass of the ISS were to fall into the ocean, it would be nothing compared to the mass of all the ships and cargo sunk over the decades, not to mention other waste polluting the aquatic environment. Anselmo believes that the greater threat from the ISS’s descent is to the Earth’s upper atmosphere, but it is difficult to assess the negative impacts at this point. But representatives of organizations that protect the aquatic environment believe that space debris from the ISS crash could pose a major threat to the waters of the Pacific Ocean. Many experts point out that there is still no international legal framework that would control the descent of inoperative spacecraft to Earth. Darren McKnight of LeoLabs, which monitors space activity to identify threats to spacecraft safety, says many experts are more concerned about the water environment than the space environment. But if spacecraft are not re-entered under control, it could be a major disaster. If no one pays to keep the ISS in orbit, it won’t be able to maneuver and will be easily hit by space debris. Then the station could just fall anywhere, McKnight says. According to McKnight, it would be possible to dismantle the ISS in orbit and float it down into the ocean in pieces. Or it could be sent to a higher orbit. But both options are very expensive. The post NASA Is Going To Destroy The ISS By Crashing The Station To Earth appeared first on Anomalien.com.