Secret Soviet Tech Is Expected To Crash Into Arizona

December 26th, 1991, the Cold War came to an end and the Soviet Union collapsed. As one of the major powers of the 20th century, they went toe-to-toe with the United States in every conceivable industry.

Most famously was the space race, in which both powers attempted to push ourselves to the stars. A long lost remnant of that era is expected to make its grand return in the Grand Canyon State.

Kosmos 482

Initially launched in 1972, the Kosmos 482 was intended to be a landmark project for the U.S.S.R. The craft was meant to make the long journey to Venus before joining other craft in the Venera program.

Unfortunately for Brezhnev and the rest of the Soviets, the craft never made it that far. A rocket malfunction on the trip out of Earth's atmosphere caused the vessel to be stuck in orbit, where it remained until very recently...

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Crash Landing

Within a decade of its failure, Kosmos 482 lost most of its parts in orbit, which harmlessly plummeted back to Earth. All that remains is the 1,000 pound body, which is expected to make its return very soon, and much closer than you may like.

The craft is expected to crash back into the Earth's atmosphere on Saturday, May 10th. Most vessels like this would burn up in the atmosphere almost immediately, but Kosmos was built to survive the harsh and hot surface of Venus, meaning it will likely stay intact on its descent. Unfortunately for us, Arizona is right in the middle of the expected crash zone, meaning we'll either see it blaze across the sky, or experience it falling right into our backyard.

[Associated Press][AZ Family]