Originally published on September 26, 2013 <br /><br />The European Space Agency's GOCE satellite will fall back to Earth next month after nearly five years gathering data on the Earth's gravitational field.<br /><br />The $450 million GOCE satellite was launched in 2009 with the mission of creating the most accurate and detailed model of the Earth's gravitational field yet, known as a geoid.<br /><br />The GOCE's position in relation to Earth is measured by GPS tools and this data helps develop a map of of the planet's gravitational field. Onboard instruments which detect tiny variations in the Earth's gravitational pull help complete the picture.<br /><br />The spacecraft is the lowest-orbiting satellite in history: at just 254 km above the Earth it comes very close to the lowest safe orbital altitude.<br /><br />The satellite will begin falling Earthward from a height of 224 km when it exhausts its fuel in mid-October.Most of the satellite is expected to disintegrate in the atmosphere during its descent.<br /><br />The data provided by GOCE will allow scientists to better understand global ocean circulation system and the behaviour of tectonic plates in earthquake zones, among numerous other applications.<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.<br /><br />For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:<br />http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Stay connected with us here:<br />Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS
