ISS Astronauts Witness Rare Atmospheric ‘Fireworks’ as Russian Cargo Spacecraft Burns Up
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station had a front-row seat to some rare atmospheric “fireworks” as the Russian Progress MS-23 cargo spacecraft departed from the ISS with a load of refuse on Nov. 29. The spacecraft was carrying “old equipment and household waste, or everything the experts have decided to toss from the station,” according to Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko.
Just four hours after the Progress MS-23 undocked, NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli was able to locate the reentering spacecraft and photograph it as it burned up in Earth’s atmosphere, capturing incredible images from aboard the ISS.
Moghbeli described the event as happening faster than expected and compared it to fireworks, especially when it broke apart. Majority of the spacecraft and its contents were incinerated high above Earth, but some material made its way down into the Pacific Ocean, as reported by Roscosmos.
Fiery reentries are standard practice for non-reusable cargo craft departing the ISS. The Russian Progress capsule and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus vehicle are disposed of in the atmosphere once they deliver their supplies, while SpaceX’s Dragon capsule is able to return home for safe splashdowns and future reuse.
Another Progress spacecraft is set to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Dec. 1, carrying three tons of supplies for the Expedition 70 mission. Docking is set for Dec. 3, and the launch and docking can be watched on Space.com.