the Spacecraft Cemetery
Since none of the devices we send are eternal, those units and pieces that do not burn up when they enter the atmosphere must be redirected somewhere safely. Officially, only in 1992, the Croatian engineer Hrvojte Lukatela accurately calculated this centre, which is the farthest from the mainland. There are about 22.5 million square kilometres of water around the Nemo – point in the South Pacific Ocean.
It was named after Jules Verne (Gyula Verne)‘s hero, which is a Latin word and it means: nobody.
In this area, due to the currents, the ocean is not so rich in nutrients, so apart from a few types of crustaceans, there is not much life. The closest human is the ISS (International Space Station) crew at an altitude of 422 km as it passes over the area. Between 1971 and 2016, more than 260 spacecraft were directed here. In 2001, the 142 – ton MIR station as well. Some of its pieces burned up in the atmosphere, but the larger pieces rest at the bottom of the ocean.
This will also be the cemetery of the ISS, according to the plans so far, in 2031. However, the ISS is 4x larger than the MIR and is almost 500 tons. It is less predictable in which direction the larger pieces will break off, so the experts have something to think about in the meantime.
There is some mystery connected to this point, however, by the horror writer: H. P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft’s horror novels are timeless classics. His name has become one with Cthulhu. Well, how does the Nemo – point come to Cthulhu? Especially already in the 1920s?
Cthulhu’s home is the lost city of R’yleh in the South Pacific. Lovecraft also added coordinates:
47°9’S 126°43’W
The coordinates of the Nemo – point are:
48°52.6’S 123°23.6’W
One time, an audio recording recorded also upset the mood. Fanatics thought they heard Cthulhu. The recording became famous as The Bloop. But it turned out that it was possible to record the sound of the ice sheets breaking off from Antarctica.
Be a Nerdy Bird!
