Picture of the day - October 18, 2008

The Jules Verne ATV spacecraft breaking up on re-entry

Photo courtesy of NASA. You have no doubt heard that an object entering the earth's atmosphere from space will break into pieces and burn up unless measures are taken to prevent it, but if you're like most people you have never actually seen it happen except perhaps for a meteor or two streaking across the night sky. Well, NASA decided to see close-up and personal just what a disintegrating spacecraft looks like. To that end, they selected the Jules Verne ATV, an unmanned robotic spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency which delivered cargo to the International Space Station earlier this year. It's mission completed, the craft undocked from the ISS after which it carried out a controlled re-entry over vast expanse of the Pacific ocean. NASA's DC-8 Airborne Laboratory was on the scene to record the action, and today's picture is a single frame from that High Definition video.   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!                                 Place the "Picture of the Day" on your website, for free! Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"