The trail of Cosmos 482, the 500-kilogram Soviet space probe, disappears over Germany.

Cosmos 482, the half-ton Soviet spacecraft lost 50 years ago, may have re-entered over Germany this morning. The probe was detected by radar systems over the European country at approximately 6:30 a.m. and 8:04 a.m. However, radar did not detect it again during its descent at the expected time of 9:32 a.m., so, according to the European Space Agency (ESA), reentry is most likely already complete. There is no confirmation at this time of the spacecraft's final fate , whether it plummeted to an unspecified location or broke up during atmospheric reentry.

Cosmos 482 was launched on March 31, 1972, toward Venus as part of the Venera program. A malfunction caused the engines to burn prematurely, and the craft did not reach sufficient velocity to leave Earth orbit. It apparently separated into four parts, two of which entered low Earth orbit and disintegrated within 48 hours. The other two, presumably the lander and the detached upper stage engine unit, reached a higher orbit. From there, they have been falling for over 53 years.

Most satellites and rocket parts that re-enter the atmosphere typically burn up and disintegrate before hitting Earth's surface. But this 495-kilogram lander was designed to withstand the extremely hostile conditions of Venus's atmosphere and withstand an acceleration of 300 G and 100 atmospheres of pressure. In other words, it's built to withstand hell. As a result, it's believed to be able to survive re-entry and reach Earth's surface in one piece instead of breaking up and burning.

According to the ESA, fragments that survive re-entry have rarely caused damage. And since most of the Earth is covered by water or uninhabited, the risk of injury is extremely small. The annual risk of a human being being injured by space debris is less than 1 in 100 billion. By comparison, a person is about 65,000 times more likely to be struck by lightning.