In an astonishing twist, theKosmos 482, a Russian spacecraft launched in 1972, is thought to have finally fallen to Earth after more than five decades of floating uncontrollably in orbit. Experts tracking its descent have said the spacecraft,

Kosmos-482, a failed mission to Venus from the former Soviet Union that stalled in Earth orbit in the 1970s, is about to fall back to our planet. Exactly where or when it will strike, however, remains

Kosmos 482 was launched on March 31, 1972, as part of the Soviet Union’s Venera program, which aimed to explore Venus. The spacecraft’s twin, Venera 8, successfully landed on Venus later that year. However,