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Unidentified Fallen Debris

IvanVolle

Gone But Not Forgotten
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Bizarre ball of twisted metal space junk falls from the sky into farmer's backyard
28th March 2008

"Outback farmer James Stirton's property consisted of little more than a herd of cattle and a sea of dust - until a curious object from outer space dropped in.

Mr Stirton scratched his head in wonder as he stared at the mangled ball of metal.

No one in their senses would drive hundreds of miles across the desert just to dump it in the middle of nowhere. So it must have come from above.

But what was it and how had it got there?"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/li...ews.html?in_article_id=547989&in_page_id=1811


/article contains pictures.
 
There's more...

Russian farmer sues space agency for falling rocket
By Natalya Sokhareva Reuters - Wednesday, March 26 01:08 pm
BARNAUL, Russia (Reuters) -

A shepherd is suing Russia's space agency for compensation after he said a 3-metre-long chunk of metal from a space rocket fell into his yard, just missing his outdoor toilet.

Boris Urmatov, who is asking for 1 million roubles ($42,000) from the Roskosmos agency, lives in a small village that lies underneath the flight path of rockets taking off from the Baikonur launchpad Russia leases in nearby Kazakhstan.

"Something woke him up in the night, like something exploded. Since he's visually handicapped he didn't notice the fallen rocket parts," Urmatov's sister Marina told Reuters from the village of Kyrlyk, in Russia's Altai region.

"But in the morning in front of the shepherd hut he saw this enormous metal casing, as smooth as an egg," she said by telephone from the village, which is 3,500 km east of Moscow. "It nearly crushed the outhouse."

She said her brother was seeking damages to compensate him for the stress he suffered.

Residents in the neighbouring village of Ust-Kan said rocket pieces regularly rain down on their area. Parts of the surrounding countryside are designated special zones where people may not go during the launches.

"Sometimes it's smooth metal casings, sometimes it's bolts. I remember something like an engine fell once," said Anatoly Kazakov, an Ust-Kan resident.

"THEY FLY, THEY FALL"

Roskosmos said it regularly warns residents when a launch is scheduled, and in a history stretching back over 50 years and 400 rockets, only a few space-bound rocket parts have fallen outside designated areas.

"Technologically speaking, these parts are supposed to fall off during a launch. They fly, they fall, they fly, they fall. It's how they work," said Roskosmos spokesman Alexander Vorobyov.

He said Roskosmos regularly sends out an investigation team to check on reports of damage from rocket parts, but it could only pay compensation if a court rules for damages.

"If a court determines that, yes, those are rocket parts, they fell on his land, then for sure he will be compensated. No question about it. We live in a civilised, law-abiding country," Vorobyov said.

Izvestia newspaper said Roskosmos had only once paid out compensation over rocket debris to a private individual -- 10,000 roubles in 2001 -- when a piece fell on his yard as he was outside chopping wood.

"What is abnormal is when somebody gets greedy, and it turns out the parts did not fall on his land, but that they were dragged there. Those moments are not good," Vorobyov said.

"But those are individual instances. We in no way refuse to pay out compensation. It just has to go through the court system."

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20080326/ ... 5ebb3.html
 
The Mysterious Case of Two Spheres Falling to Earth in Australia and Brazil
Written by Ian O'Neill

On the March 24th, a story hit the web from Brazil asking for help identifying a mysterious-looking sphere found in farmland. The black, shiny object appeared to be wrapped in fibrous material and it was hot to the touch. Immediately thoughts of extra-terrestrial origin came to mind…

Today, several news sources covered the discovery of a mysterious spherical object found in the Australian outback last year. The farmer who made the discovery has only just started to make enquiries into what the object actually is.

So are the two objects connected in some way? Are they indeed from outer space?

The answer is "yes", and "yes". But don't go getting too excited, they're not bits from a broken alien spacecraft.

Before their origins are explained, a bit of background: The first story to be released was from Brazil on Monday. Just a small story on Daniel Drehmer's blog, asking "a space geek from Digg" (Digg.com being the social bookmarking site) for help to identify this strange object found by Sebastião Marques da Costa who described the orb as being hot to the touch. Either it has been heated by the Sun, or it had just crashed to Earth. On seeing the object, it does make for good science fiction material. It's a very strange looking thing, one meter in diameter, contrasting with the green countryside.

I was so intrigued by the story, I kept an eye on the blog. The following day, the Second Wave reported that an answer had been found. Obviously the geeks on Digg had been paying attention and identified the object as a Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessel (or COPV). Put very basically, it's a high pressure container for inert gases. The space shuttle carries COPVs and it seems likely that these containers will be used for a variety of space missions. They are built with a carbon fibre or Kevlar overcoat to provide reinforcement against the vast pressure gradient between the inside and outside of the container.

If the COPVs are so reinforced, it seems reasonable that they may survive re-entry through the Earth's atmosphere.

So what about our Australian farmer? Looking at the picture, the strange object in the Australian outback has some striking similarities to the Brazilian orb (only a lot more damaged).

Today many news sites picked up on the Australian find (well, last year's find), and call me suspicious, but the timing couldn't be better. The Australian farmer, James Stirton, who found the object made the surprising statement to the Reuters news agency:

"I know a lot of about sheep and cattle but I don't know much about satellites. But I would say it is a fuel cell off some stage of a rocket."

That's one very well informed guess. Perhaps he's a Digg reader…?

Either way, it would be interesting to find out to what space mission these COPVs belonged to, as it appears they are highly efficient at not only storing fuels being flown into space, they also crash to Earth pretty much intact.

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/03/28 ... nd-brazil/
 
Well, in the end this piece was identified.

Russian Space Agency To Compensate Siberian Man Over Rocket Part
Debris
Baikonur Space Center.
by Staff Writers
Novosibirsk, Russia (RIA Novosti) Nov 10, 2008
Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, has agreed to pay 100,000 rubles (about $4,000) in compensation to a villager in southwest Siberia after a rocket fragment fell on his land, the local administration said on Friday.
Boris Urmatov, a shepherd in the Republic of Altai, earlier demanded 1 million rubles in compensation for the February 5 incident, when a three-and-a-half-meter (11 ft) fragment from a Proton-M carrier rocket, launched from the Baikonur Space Center, fell near his house.

In April, two villagers sued Roscosmos after rocket parts fell on their property, which is located outside the designated area for falling debris. The local authorities have sent a letter to the space agency requesting it to take measures to prevent rocket fragments falling in populated areas.

A second incident occurred on March 11 when a small fragment from another Proton rocket landed in a village in the Altai Republic destroying a shed roof.

The Altai Republic has been used as a "falling field" for debris from rockets launched from the Baikonur space center, leased from Kazakhstan, for more than 40 years. Experts estimate that about 2.5 metric tons of "space waste" has fallen in unpopulated areas of the republic during this period.

Many local residents say they have experienced health problem as a result, although it has not been officially confirmed.


Source: RIA Novosti
 
Looks as if there is some confusion in this case.

Siberian Shepherd Sues Roscosmos Over Rocket Debris
www.spacedaily.com/reports/Siberian_She ... s_999.html

The Altai Republic has been used as a "falling field" for debris from rockets launched from the Baikonur space center, leased from Kazakhstan, for more than 40 years. Experts estimate that about 2.5 metric tons of "space waste" has fallen in unpopulated areas of the republic during this period. Many local residents say they have experienced health problem as a result.

Novosibirsk, Russia (RIA Novosti) Dec 17, 2008
A villager in southwest Siberia is to take legal action against Russia's space agency, Roscosmos, after a rocket fragment fell on his land, a local administration official said on Tuesday.
Boris Urmatov, a shepherd in the Republic of Altai, filed a lawsuit after he was refused compensation when a three-and-a-half-meter (11 ft) fragment from a Proton-M carrier rocket, launched from the Baikonur Space Center, fell near his house on February 5.

Representatives from Roscosmos initially agreed to pay 100,000 rubles (about $3,600) during a visit to Altai in November, but later decided that the shepherd must substantiate his claim in court.

According to different reports, Urmatov had previously requested between 500,000 ($18,000) and one million rubles ($36,000) in compensation. The official said that there was no information on how much Urmatov would seek from the court.

In April, two villagers sued Roscosmos after rocket parts fell on their property, which is located outside an area designated for falling debris. The local authorities have sent a letter to the space agency requesting it take preventative measures to avoid rocket fragments falling in populated areas in the future.

A second incident occurred on March 11 when a small fragment from another Proton rocket landed in a village in the Altai Republic destroying a shed roof.

The Altai Republic has been used as a "falling field" for debris from rockets launched from the Baikonur space center, leased from Kazakhstan, for more than 40 years. Experts estimate that about 2.5 metric tons of "space waste" has fallen in unpopulated areas of the republic during this period.

Many local residents say they have experienced health problem as a result, although it has not been officially confirmed.


Source: RIA Novosti
 
This one is probably a cast-off rocket stage from a Chinese satellite launch ...

Myanmar debris: 'Mystery object lands at jade mine'

The cylindrical object, found on Thursday in Kachin state, is 4.5m (15ft) long and 1.2m wide
A large metal object has fallen from the sky into a jade mining area in north Myanmar, state media say.

The cylindrical object, found on Thursday in Kachin state, is 4.5m (15ft) long and 1.2m wide. ...

Full Story + Photo: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-37946718
 
Hi, I was recently in Stanley, West Falkland and was taken past a large piece of space junk which I believe to be part of the European communication satellite that broke up in 2013. I did not really get close enough for a picture as my companions were more interested in abandoned Argentinian dug outs. Does anyone have a decent photo they can share or point me in the right direction for more information. Google has so far only yielded information that it would come to earth in remote parts of the Souther oceans and cause little damage. This was a big chunk of metal really close to a farm and the town.

Nic
 
Hi, I was recently in Stanley, West Falkland and was taken past a large piece of space junk which I believe to be part of the European communication satellite that broke up in 2013. I did not really get close enough for a picture as my companions were more interested in abandoned Argentinian dug outs. Does anyone have a decent photo they can share or point me in the right direction for more information. Google has so far only yielded information that it would come to earth in remote parts of the Souther oceans and cause little damage. This was a big chunk of metal really close to a farm and the town.

Nic
What led you to believe it was actually formerly space hardware as opposed to a bit of superannuated military hardware? I imagine there is no shortage of the latter on the Falklands, and from what I know service people are not averse to a wind-up now and then. On the other hand, SS Great Britain was left to rot down in that part of the world for decades, and she was at the cutting edge of technology when first built, so there is a precedent...
 
Well that was a speedy reply for a rather niche subject!

The short answer is I was told by our guide that it was space junk. There is less military hardware lying around that most people expect, British stuff is mostly cleared up and either recycled, re-used or restored by enthusiasts. There is some Argentinian equipment around, but again it is often cleared up and or restored for museums etc.

Reference the piece I saw, it was large and looked like a rusty tower dropped to the ground from height, wonky, battered with some odd linear detailing.- like I would have expected a piece of rocket to look ( Space not weapon) so the explanation seemed quite reasonable to me.

Incidentally the mast of SS Great Britain is still in Stanley, caused me some confusion when I first saw it. apparently she was used to store coal for the post for years before being salvaged to Bristol
 
An orange-green light streaked across the sky over a wide region in Central Australia on Saturday night, sending some scrambling for cameras and leaving others awestruck.

8954608-3x2-700x467.jpg


The light, seen about 7:50pm (ACST), disrupted a history talk in Gemtree, about 140 kilometres northeast of Alice Springs, and sightings were reported from as far afield as Marla, 400 kilometres away in South Australia.

... He also said it would not be hard to find the remnants, given the rocket was about the size of a bus.
"The trajectory and the ground track of this rocket would be fairly well known," Mr Finlay said.



Video at link
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-...e-junk-stuns-people-across-central-oz/8954680
 
^ Wow. Are those fuel cells common survivors of reentry? Looks like it could almost be reused.
 
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