Archive for April, 2025
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April 29th, 2025
Image credit: Ralf Vandebergh
That soon-to-reenter Cosmos 482 is getting increased attention by satellite trackers – and new imagery provides some interesting details.
The former Soviet Union’s Cosmos 482 was lofted back in 1972. But that country’s attempted Venus probe ran amuck during its rocket-assisted toss to the cloud-veiled world. Payload leftovers were marooned in Earth orbit, specifically the spacecraft’s lander module/capsule intended to parachute onto the hellish landscape of Venus.
Venera 8 was one of a pair of Venus atmospheric lander probes designed for the spring 1972 launch window. The other mission, Cosmos 482, failed to leave Earth orbit.
Image credit: Hall of Venus/NPO Lavochkin
Uncertain factors
“As this is a lander that was designed to survive passage through the Venus atmosphere, it is possible that it will survive reentry through the Earth atmosphere intact, and impact intact,” reports Marco Langbroek of SatTrackCam Leiden, the Netherlands.
“There are many uncertain factors in this though, including that this will be a long shallow reentry trajectory and the age of the object,” observes Langbroek.
Langbroek now pegs the current nominal forecast for its reentry on May 10, plus/minus 3.1 days.
Venera 8 artwork.
Image Credit: NPO Lavochkin
Compact ball
Meanwhile, satellite tracker Ralf Vandebergh of the Netherlands, has snagged a first set of images of only the capsule in Earth orbit. “We see a clear compact ball! This set is already fantastic, I think,” he tells Inside Outer Space.
Those first set of high resolution images, Vandebergh said, are compared to a Starlink satellite bus in operational orbit. He notes that Cosmos 482 is roughly 80 miles (130 kilometers) closer than the Starlink bus which, according to data, is around 1.3 meters by 2.7 meters.
Earlier imagery of the lost-to-space Cosmos 482.
Image credit: Ralf Vandebergh
Parachute speculation
Vandebergh said he is stunned by what he is seeing on collected imagery frames.
“Several frames seems to confirm what I thought to see in the 2014 images, [that] there is a compact ball but several frames show a weak elongated structure at one particular side of the ball,” Vandebergh added. He has speculated in the past it was possible that this might be the parachute that came out.
Earlier imagery of the lost-to-space Cosmos 482.
Image credit: Ralf Vandebergh
“It is not impossible that the object is tumbling,” Vandebergh notes, “so the chute would be sometimes visible,” assuming that it is the chute. He cautioned that more time is needed to better analyze what’s showing up in the imagery.
That best analysis of the imagery is a work in progress, Vandebergh concluded, so stay tuned!
Image credit: Marco Langbroek/Dominic Dirkx
Posted in 
Wait-a-Minute!
Image credit: Barbara David
A U.S. Senate committee is set to vote tomorrow on Jared Isaacman, the Trump Administration’s selectee for NASA administrator.
That’s one small step for Isaacman in true wait-a-minute style deliberation.
On Wednesday, April 30, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a full committee Executive Session to vote on whether to advance Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA.
Entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, President Trump’s nominee to be NASA administrator, appears April 9 before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and testifies that NASA is a “force multiplier for science.”
NASA / Bill Ingalls
Isaacman appeared before the committee on April 9. In written answers to questions, Isaacman revealed more of his views regarding his handling of NASA issues.
Isaacman did call the projected Trump administration’s planned cuts to NASA not “an optimal outcome.”
REPUBLICAN QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD – Go to:
https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/5C22B600-2AAB-4ACF-AE89-FA78A04E602D
DEMOCRATIC QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD – Go to:
https://www.commerce.senate.gov/services/files/13EEBAAD-3523-45C8-BB97-EB1031A01741
Image credit: NASA
What now?
As for taking over NASA, there’s still some question as to when Isaacman does get confirmed – and what space agency decision-making is still to come.
“Tomorrow is just a committee vote. It could be days, weeks or months before the full Senate votes. We’ll see what the issues are then,” said Marcia Smith, founder and editor of the informative SpacePolicyOnline.com at: https://spacepolicyonline.com/
If days, Smith added, the top job will be seeing if it’s too late for Isaacman to have any influence on the budget request. “Once Trump sends it to Congress he’ll have to support whatever it says.”
To watch the livestream on Wednesday, April 30, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, go to:
https://www.commerce.senate.gov/
Meanwhile, take a look at this just-issued NASA release, “NASA Soars to New Heights in First 100 Days of Trump Administration.” Go to:
Wait-a- minute, Congress at work.
Image credit: Barbara David
NASA has issued a new volume, Governing the Moon – A History, part of a series of monographs in aerospace history and a report for NASA’s Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy, closed down in March 2025.
This invaluable read is authored by Stephen Buono, a Collegiate Assistant Professor in the Social Sciences at the University of Chicago.
The monograph is built around five chapters: The Moon’s Lawyer, Aldo Armando Cocca and the Germ of a Treaty; “A Rather Clumsy Attempt” – Moscow’s Moon Treaty; New York, Geneva, New York – The United Nations Negotiations; The Doldrums – Limping Toward the Finish Line, and “Armageddon for the Free Enterprise System” – The Moon Treaty in the American Scene.
Buono illuminates the treaty’s deep origins, the contributions of international space lawyers, the details of the negotiating process, the role played by the United States in shaping the final text, and the contributions of the treaty’s single most important author, Aldo Armando Cocca.
Nuanced and complicated
Known as the Moon Treaty, the Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies was adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly.
Nine candidate landing regions for NASA’s Artemis III mission The background image of the lunar South Pole terrain within the nine regions is a mosaic of LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) WAC (Wide Angle Camera) images.
Image credit: NASA
However, negotiated over a decade, the treaty was not ultimately ratified.
Buono explains that this report, “if it is as useful to NASA as I intended, has provided a history of the Moon Treaty more nuanced and complicated than its politization in the 1980s may have at first suggested.”
Furthermore, Buono states that he has sought to illuminate the deep origins of the treaty; the contributions of international space lawyers to its intellectual maturation; the details of the negotiating process; as well as the role played by the United States in shaping the final text.
“As NASA prepares to launch humans to the Moon once more,” Buono continues, “it is my humble wish that the narrative presented here proves meaningful to the administration’s continued work on space governance.”
This publication is available as a free download at:
Artistic depiction of NASA astronauts at the lunar south pole carrying out early work to establish an Artemis Base Camp.
Image credit: NASA
Handover ceremonies between crews.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Onboard China’s space station, crews have completed a handover for managing, caring for, and maintaining the orbital outpost.
The commander of the Shenzhou-20 crew thanked the Shenzhou-19 trio for their meticulous care of the space station as they prepare for returning to Earth this coming Tuesday.
The Shenzhou-20 crew consists of Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie.
Landing site preparations
The Shenzhou-19 crew — Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong, and Wang Haoze – are scheduled to touch down April 29 at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, marking completion of a six-month mission aboard China’s Tiangong space station.
Late last week, a final comprehensive drill was conducted at the landing site. According to China Central Television (CCTV) the entire return and landing process of the Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft is expected to take about 50 minutes.
Go to this video that spotlights the handover ceremonies at:
Image credit: CGTN/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China’s Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, reports that a total of 17 countries and international organizations, as well as over 50 international research institutions have joined an International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) program initiated by that country.
China welcomes international participants to join the ILRS, said Wu.
China has previously announced plans for a crewed mission to the Moon to take place before 2030, and preparations are progressing smoothly, states the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Image credit: CGTN/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Phase Four
Wu recently shared details on the construction of a Moon research station with comprehensive facilities and international participation.
“We hope that on the basis of Phase Four of our lunar exploration program, there will be a large international scientific-technological research project initiated by China, with the participation of multiple countries,” said Wu.
The research station at the lunar south pole will be capable of automatically supplying power for itself and making telecommunications available on site.
Lunar south pole.
Image credit: CGTN/Inside Outer Space screengrab
“Centered around the lunar south pole, it will cover both the lunar surface and the lunar orbit, and can extend to farther locations. For example, the research station will be equipped with multiple systems including lunar rovers, landers, hoppers, and networks. Once assembled, we will be able to conduct long-term unmanned exploration there, as well as accommodate short-term human presence,” Wu said.
Wu added that he believes that ultimately the construction of a lunar research station would serve China’s future Mars missions. “I believe this is a very important goal for us,” Wu said in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN).
Key areas
There are several key areas of international cooperation in putting in place an ILRS, Wu said.
China lunar research station planning underway.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Technical level: Working together to develop and implement shared plans. Technological breakthroughs are essential, particularly to tackle the harsh conditions of the lunar South Pole, including challenges related to lighting, power supply, and extreme temperature variations.
Cooperation on scientific instruments: Scientific exploration using instrument payloads, to collaborate with China in this endeavor. Joint research is encouraged, but for those who prefer to conduct independent studies, China is also willing to assist in delivering their instruments to the lunar surface.
Scientific data: Once obtained, this data will be analyzed collaboratively or shared with participating countries for joint research.
Collaboration at ground headquarters: Located in China, the headquarters welcomes scientists from around the world for academic exchange.
Go to this informative video on China’s lunar plans at:
Image credit: Firefly Aerospace
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – Lessons learned and on-the-spot surprises from the first fully successful commercial lunar lander mission bolsters the chances of long-term robotic and human operations on the moon.
The Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1 safely touched down March 2 within the targeted Mare Crisium landing zone.
Blue Ghost completed more than 14 days of surface operations during 346 hours of daylight, stretching its lifetime for a little over 5 hours into the super-chilly lunar night.
Image credit: Firefly Aerospace
For more details, go to my new Space.com story — ‘We learned so much that we didn’t know’: Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost moon lander mission was full of surprises” – at:
Image credit: Firefly Aerospace/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Soviet Union’s Venera spacecraft design.
Image credit: NPO Lavochkin
In late March 1972, the Soviet Union’s Cosmos 482 was launched. But that country’s attempted Venus probe ran amuck during its rocket-assisted toss to the cloud-veiled world.
Major elements of that failed craft remained in Earth orbit. The upper stage of the Soyuz booster launching that Venus probe cut off prematurely, leaving the payload marooned in Earth orbit.
Unusual uncontrolled reentry
But here is new news: “In about two weeks from now, on or near May 9-10, an unusual uncontrolled reentry will happen.”
That’s the report from satellite watcher Marco Langbroek of the Netherlands. He has been taking telescopic looks at the errant, Earth-circling Cosmos 482 remains for numbers of years.
Venera 8 preparations. Image credit: Roscosmos/NPO Lavochkin
What’s ahead is the reentry of the Cosmos 482 descent craft – the landing module of the errant Soviet Venera mission that failed over 53 years ago.
Hot topic
And one hot topic to ponder is whether that landing module intended for Venus, custom-made to withstand reentry through the thick Venus atmosphere, might survive reentry through the Earth’s atmosphere intact.
The former Soviet Union’s Cosmos 482 was a sister probe to Venera 8. That spacecraft in July 1972 became the second craft to land successfully on the surface of Venus. It relayed data from Venus’ hellish surface for 50 minutes and 11 seconds before succumbing to that planet’s harsh planetary conditions.
Meanwhile, adrift around Earth and headed for its apparent Earth reentry is the lost-to-space Cosmos 482 wreckage.
Image credit: Marco Langbroek/Dominic Dirkx
The Soviet-style contraption was built to withstand the heat of diving into Venus’ cloud-veiled planet’s thick atmosphere. The Venus lander mass was pegged at 1,091 lbs. (495 kilograms) and carries significant thermal protection.
Hard landing
Exactly when and where the wayward hardware could plummet back to Earth is uncertain. With an orbital inclination of 51.7 degrees, the reentry can occur anywhere between latitude 52 N and 52 S, Langbroek explains.
Over the past months, together with colleague Dominic Dirkx, Langbroek shaped a reentry model for Cosmos 482 in TUDAT, the TU Delft Astrodynamics Toolbox. TUDAT is an open source, multi-platform Astrodynamics software developed and maintained at the Aerospace faculty of Delft Technical University where Langbroek works.
As Langbroek reports, the Venus probe had a parachute for the upper Venusian atmosphere dive, “but I wouldn’t bet on that working now, and would assume that, if it survives re-entry, it would come down hard.”
Venera 8 was one of a pair of Venus atmospheric lander probes designed for the spring 1972 launch window. The other mission, Cosmos 482, failed to leave Earth orbit.
Image credit: Hall of Venus/NPO Lavochkin
Langbroek actually modeled the reentry, expecting an end velocity in the order of some 145 miles per hour-plus (65-70 meters/second) on the ground or ocean impact.
So could this piece of space junk survive a hot-footing descent back to its home planet from whence it was launched?
“The risks involved are not particularly high, but not zero,” Langbroek points out. “With a mass of just under 500 kg and 1-meter size, risks are similar to that of a meteorite impact.”
Stay tuned…and heads up!
Venera 8 artwork.
Image Credit: NPO Lavochkin
Photo taking during Chang’e-5 moon surface sampling session in December 2020.
Credit: CNSA/China Central Television (CCTV)
Seven institutions from six countries – including the United States — have been granted a go-ahead to borrow samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission.
The authorized U.S. institutions are Brown University and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Also given sample access is the Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP) in France, the University of Cologne in Germany, Osaka University in Japan, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO), the Open University in the United Kingdom.
Chang’e-5 return capsule holding lunar specimens.
Image credit: National Astronomical Observatories, CAS
In 2020, China’s Chang’e-5 Moon mission retrieved lunar samples weighing about 1,731 grams.
The China National Space Administration (CNSA), in November 2023, opened applications for international researchers to borrow Chang’e-5 lunar samples.
By the end of December 2023, CNSA said it had received 24 applications from 11 countries and international organizations.
Loan agreement details
Timothy Glotch is a professor of geosciences at Stony Brook University in New York. He told Inside Outer Space that NASA and CNSA were unable to come to terms on the loan agreement for the Chang’E-5 samples.
“As a result, due to the Wolf amendment, I am not able to use any NASA funds to carry out the work my team and I proposed to do on the Chang’E-5 samples,” Glotch said. “However, the Stony Brook University administration has provided me with internal funds for travel and to conduct our proposed analyses, which is exciting.”
The Wolf Amendment is a law passed by the United States Congress that prohibits NASA from using government funds to engage in direct, bilateral cooperation with the Chinese government and China-affiliated organizations from its activities without explicit authorization from the FBI and the U.S. Congress.
Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects specimens from the Moon brought back by the return sample mission.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Glotch added that the Stony Brook contracts office still has to sign off on the loan agreement, and has been in touch with the CNSA representative about this.
“I hope that this last step can be resolved soon and that I can plan my travel to China to collect the samples and begin the analyses that we proposed,” said Glotch. “It is an honor to have been chosen to work with these samples. I’m champing at the bit to get to work!”
Huge scientific value
Also granted access to the lunar specimens is Stephen Parman of Brown University’s department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Science in Providence, Rhode Island.
“It is important to emphasize we are not going to use any NASA funds for this work. So we are in compliance with the Wolf Amendment,” Parman told Inside Outer Space.
Once all the necessary approvals from their respective institutions are obtained, Parman and Glotch plan to go over together later this year to obtain the samples.
“It is an honor to be able to work on these samples,” said Parman. “They have huge scientific value, as all returned samples do. We should get more!”
Red Planet collaboration
Meanwhile, China has also released a notice on Tianwen-3 international cooperation opportunities.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space
That mission is geared for returning samples from Mars and is slated for launch around 2028, according to CNSA.
At a ceremony for Space Day of China held in Shanghai, CNSA announced that the Tianwen-3 spacecraft will allocate 20 kilograms of resources for international collaboration. The Tianwen-3 spacecraft comprises a lander, an ascent vehicle, a service module, an orbiter and a return module, and it is equipped with six scientific payloads.
According to a China Central Television (CCTV) report, the orbiter will operate in a circular Martian orbit at an altitude of about 350 kilometers, and has a designed lifespan of no less than five years.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Payload resources
The service module will operate in a highly elliptical orbit, conducting in-orbit exploration for approximately two Martian years with a designed lifespan of no less than five years.
For this mission, the CNSA is offering international cooperation payload resources including no more than 15 kilograms on the orbiter and up to 5 kilograms on the service module.
Liu Jizhong, chief designer of China’s Mars sample-return mission, has stated that it will take two Long March-5 launches to carry out the Mars sample-return mission.
Wang Jie, Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, the three Chinese astronauts for the upcoming Shenzhou-20 spaceflight mission, met the press on Wednesday.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China is ready to launch the Shenzhou-20 crewed spaceship on April 24.
Liftoff is slated for 17:17 Thursday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country’s northwest, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced today.
CMSA revealed that that the Shenzhou-20 crew members are: Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie with Chen Dong as the commander.
The three astronauts will take over command of China’s Tiangong space station from the Shenzhou-19 crew currently in orbit, and will spend about six months in space.
Lin Xiqiang, CMSA spokesman.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Fast autonomous rendezvous
As reported by China Central Television (CCTV), Shenzhou-20 is the 35th flight mission of China’s human space program and the 5th crewed mission during the application and development stage of China’s space station.
Lin Xiqiang, CMSA spokesman, stated in a media event: “According to the plan, Shenzhou-20 spacecraft will execute the fast autonomous rendezvous and docking procedures after entering the orbit.”
Lin added that the spacecraft will dock with the forward port of the Tianhe core module in 6.5 hours to form a three-module and three-ship assembly.
Shenzhou-19 crew ready for trip homne.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Landing site
“During their stay, the Shenzhou-20 crew will welcome the coming and docking of Tianzhou-9 cargo ship and Shenzhou-21 manned spaceship,” Lin said. “The crew is planned to return to the Dongfeng landing site in late October.”
Chen Dong participated in the piloted spaceflight missions of Shenzhou-11 and Shenzhou-14, and two years after the Shenzhou-14 mission, he will serve as the commander again.
Space travel rookies, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, were selected from the third batch of Chinese astronauts. Chen was a former air force pilot before being selected as an astronaut, and Wang previously served as an engineer at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Meanwhile, the now-orbiting Shenzhou-19 crew is scheduled to return to the Dongfeng landing site on April 29 after the two crews complete the handover procedure in orbit.
Go to CCTV video at: https://youtu.be/Ux6PXzsAOAs?si=AtiOwUEvPivkHfiH
Also, crew press event at: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1ANvZUWGqh/
Image credit: John Barentine/Dark Sky Consultants
Coming to skies near you – are we ready for “obtrusive space advertising” – billboard-like ads that can be easily seen by people here on Earth?
Taking a “wait-a-minute” approach is John Barentine of Dark Sky Consultants.
“A revolution in the way humans access and use outer space is underway. The ongoing transition of space from a realm dominated by nation-states to one of private commercial activities is remaking near-Earth orbital space,” Barentine points out.
Image credit: StartRocket
Global market
In a recent Future In-Space Operations seminar, Barentine outlined the potentially profitable use of outer space for space advertising, in the past stymied by high launch costs.
Although not yet demonstrated practically or at scale, it is thought that this form of advertising may tap into a large and thus far unexploited global market, explains Barentine. At the same time, he adds, it presents a risk in coming years of transforming the night sky to the detriment of professional astronomers and stargazers alike.
Russia’s Angara-A5 booster.
Image credit: Roscosmos
Prototype satellite
A forerunner of things to come has already been launched, but in prototype status as a space media satellite.
Dubbed the Gagarinets mission, it was lofted on April 11 of last year via Russia’s Angara-A5 booster. Short-lived in space, the Russian 3U CubeSat of Moscow-based Avant Space was a technology demonstrator, prelude to a projected constellation of satellites each using a 150 watt laser diode that collectively project laser-light images, such as company logos, QR codes, or text in the night sky.
Gagarinets mission prototype with Anton Ossovsky, founder and CEO of Avant Space.
Image credit: Avant Space
“The allure is just too great to not try,” Barentine contends, citing one analysis that a space advertising mission could generate up to $2 million in revenue daily. That’s enough to pay for itself in about a month.
According to Avant’s website: “We will agree with you on the details of the flight mission: the shape of the constellation, the number of satellites, the time and place of the first appearance of the brand, a list of subsequent locations and the total operating time of the system.”
Image credit: Avant Space
The new constellation would fly over all continents and major cities with a population of over 1 billion people, the Avant website posting adds. “Your brand will become as unreachable as the stars in the sky.”
Public attention
First of all, is the issue of space advertising getting the needed attention at the moment?
“It’s difficult to say,” Barentine responds to Inside Outer Space. “The issue is and isn’t imminent at the same time. There is much more attention to concerns like space debris and the potential for warfare in space, given the geopolitical realities of the times, in that they are perceived to be more imminent and significant concerns.”
Barentine fears that attention to the issue of space advertising will remain low until someone successfully deploys a conspicuous, obtrusive space advertisement.
Image credit: Avant Space
“At that point it will capture the public’s attention. But once a successful deployment takes place, it will be difficult to meaningful regulate the activity post-facto,” says Barentine.
Too late, stand-by for what’s coming?
As for what group is best suited to consider the ramifications of advertising in space, Barentine senses it’s an issue for the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.
“It’s the only venue in which some sort of international agreement might be reached,” Barentine said, “and even at that it will not include the perspectives of countries that are not state parties to the Outer Space Treaty.”
However, in a sense, this issue may be in a too late, stand-by for what’s coming mode.
“That is my feeling as well,” Barentine explains. “My view crystallized last year when Avant Space successfully, by its own account, tested its prototype CubeSat. The capability of deploying an obtrusive space advertisement exists.”
Image credit: NASA
There is a fragile and unspoken international agreement of sorts that “we don’t do this in space”, led by the U.S. But Barentine is not sure how long that will hold up.
What happens next?
Barentine believes that, in order to maximize profitability, he believes a successful obtrusive space advertisement campaign would center on some kind of product that is widely consumed in much of the world, so that the audience for such an ad is as large as possible.
“Likely it will be a U.S. company only in that many have the kind of global market penetration to justify the cost,” said Barentine. “But the payload won’t launch from the U.S. for legal reasons. I could see such a launch taking place, for example, in Russia.
Non-obtrusive space ad from the 1960s.
Image credit: General Foods via John Barentine
Indeed, 51 U.S. Code § 50911 deals with space advertising, noting that “No holder of a license under this chapter may launch a payload containing any material to be used for purposes of obtrusive space advertising.”
“Obtrusive space advertising” is defined as advertising in outer space that is capable of being recognized by a human being on the surface of the Earth without the aid of a telescope or other technological device.
Barentine recently was a co-creator of a group called the Center for Space Environmentalism. It serves as a hub of activity surrounding all aspects of the space environment, from orbital crowding, space debris to world beyond Earth and novel space activities.
For more information on the Center for Space Environmentalism, go to:
https://www.spaceenvironmentalism.org/
