<ul><li>The 53-year-old Soviet lander Kosmos 482, which is tumbling back to Earth, appears to be trailing a parachute based on new images analyzed by satellite trackers.</li><li>Kosmos 482, part of the former U.S.S.R.'s Venera program, split in two after a malfunction in the rocket in 1972, with the main body crashing back to Earth in 1981 and the lander remaining in orbit.</li><li>The Dutch astronomer Ralf Vandebergh noted a structure connected to the capsule in the images, suggesting it could be a parachute, although it is still speculative.</li><li>The 1,091-pound lander, designed for Venus but likely to return to Earth intact, is expected to experience reentry at approximately 150 mph, potentially burning up the suspected parachute.</li></ul>

Doomed Soviet spacecraft tumbling toward Earth may already have its parachute out, new images hint

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