The European Automated Transfer Vehicle 2 (ATV – 2) met a fiery demise on June 21. A planned end to the huge unmanned robotic spacecraft was recorded faithfully by a special onboard recorder and transmitted back to earth.
The spaceship ended its many months long mission at the International Space Station and plunged into Earth’s atmosphere. Along the way the cargo ship broke up over the southern Pacific Ocean and burned up in the atmosphere. This has become common procedure for disposing robotic space station cargo ships. What is not common is recording the entire break down process.
Illustration of ATV-2 reentry and breakup because of the atmospheric forces. Credits: ESA - D. Ducros
The European Space Agency kept tabs on the space craft called Johannes Kepler till 4.41 pm EDT and an altitude of about 50 miles above sea level. The craft was named after the famous 17th century German astronomer. The cylindrical vehicle is about 35 feet long and 14.7 feet) wide.
The last moments of the ATV – 2 Johannes Kepler were recorded on its Re-entry Breakup Recorder. This instrument was similar to black boxes used by aircrafts. The 20 pound box recorded the data automatically during the last five minutes of the descent of the craft. The recorder got information on the vehicle's position, attitude, temperature, pressure and other aspects of its breakup during re-entry.