The Soviet Union's failed Kosmos 482 Venus lander fell back to Earth today (May 10), bringing a five-decade space odyssey to a dramatic end.

The Soviets launched Kosmos 482 in 1972, intending to send it to Venus to join other spacecraft in their Venera programme. But a rocket malfunction left this one stuck in orbit around Earth.

The Soviet Union launched the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 in 1972, one of a series of Venus missions. But it never made it out of Earth orbit because of a rocket malfunction.

Cosmos (or Kosmos) 482's orbit has slowly brought it closer to our planet since 1972, and now it's on the cusp of plummeting back to its home world.

However, Kosmos 482 was designed to function on Venus's surface, where the average temperature is 867 degrees Fahrenheit (464 C), and to survive a descent through the planet's thick atmosphere.

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a ...

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a ...

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a ...

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a ...

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a ...

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a ...

Launched in 1972 by the Soviet Union, the spacecraft known as Kosmos 482 was part of a series of missions bound for Venus. But this one never made it out of orbit around Earth, stranded there by a ...