Old Soviet Venus Probe is Crashing Back to Earth 5/10/2025

[Owen Lucas]

Speaking of finders keepers what is the law regarding keeping stuff you find?

"As for keeping it, don’t get your hopes up," Aerospace says. "There is a United Nations treaty that governs found debris—the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. It states that countries keep ownership of objects they launch into space, even after those objects reenter and return to Earth. The country that launched the object in this case is Russia, which could request the return of any parts that survived reentry. "It is also worth noting that the treaty says that the launching country is also internationally liable for damages."

 

[Kira]

They surely have trackers on their rockets and knew where the parts landed.

I wouldn't be so sure.

 

[walterjay]

"As for keeping it, don’t get your hopes up," Aerospace says. "There is a United Nations treaty that governs found debris—the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. It states that countries keep ownership of objects they launch into space, even after those objects reenter and return to Earth. The country that launched the object in this case is Russia, which could request the return of any parts that survived reentry. "It is also worth noting that the treaty says that the launching country is also internationally liable for damages."

So if the International Space Station comes down who is liable?

 

[Owen Lucas]

So if the International Space Station comes down who is liable?

My guess would be which countries part caused the damage, if that can be even determined, or some type of prorated payment from the interested parties? Sounds complicated, maybe they decided this already?

 

[Fattylocks]

Oops. My apologies to the community.

 

[fdcg27]

The craft appears to have landed in the Indian Ocean.
I was kind of rooting for it to return home and hit the Kremlin.

 

[LordNilesStandish]

"As for keeping it, don’t get your hopes up," Aerospace says. "There is a United Nations treaty that governs found debris—the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. It states that countries keep ownership of objects they launch into space, even after those objects reenter and return to Earth. The country that launched the object in this case is Russia, which could request the return of any parts that survived reentry. "It is also worth noting that the treaty says that the launching country is also internationally liable for damages."

So if it hits your garden shed, all of a sudden it becomes the most valuable garden shed in the world

 

[RedSpider]

I was able to spot 482 one last time on Thursday morning around 5:40 a.m. Heavens Above had it coming over at 5:42 but I went out a few minutes early and when I clicked on Live Sky Chart it was already overhead, I looked up and slightly south and there it was. Very faint, and moving very fast.

 

[KrisZ]

"As for keeping it, don’t get your hopes up," Aerospace says. "There is a United Nations treaty that governs found debris—the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. It states that countries keep ownership of objects they launch into space, even after those objects reenter and return to Earth. The country that launched the object in this case is Russia, which could request the return of any parts that survived reentry. "It is also worth noting that the treaty says that the launching country is also internationally liable for damages."

One could argue that it was USSR that launched this probe not Russia. USSR is not Russia.