NASA’s Swift Observatory Reenters Over Indonesia

NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory reentered Earth’s atmosphere at 7:39 a.m. EST on November 4 over North Sumatra, Indonesia, ending nearly 22 years in orbit. NASA said most of the spacecraft was expected to burn up, although some components may have survived. The amount of debris that reached the ground has not been established in the reports, and no immediate injuries or property damage were reported. The observatory was designed for a two-year mission and launched in November 2004. It studied gamma-ray bursts, supernovas, black holes and other cosmic phenomena, observing more than 2,000 gamma-ray bursts and more than 1,400 supernova explosions, according to reports. NASA said its observations contributed to thousands of research papers. Swift’s orbit gradually declined as atmospheric drag slowed the spacecraft. Increased solar activity heated and expanded the upper atmosphere, increasing that drag and accelerating the descent, according to NASA and other accounts. NASA ended science operations on October 20, when the observatory’s low altitude made observations difficult. An attempt to raise Swift into a higher orbit failed after the LINK robotic spacecraft, developed by...