(meteorobs) Off Topic Maybe Sometime in December 1957

stange34 at sbcglobal.net stange34 at sbcglobal.net
Mon Feb 19 12:08:42 EST 2007


How about "Satelloids" for a name?
If remnants contact the earths surface...."Debrioids"?
-Larry


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "drobnock" <drobnock at penn.com>
To: <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
Sent: 2007/02/19 06:30
Subject: (meteorobs) Off Topic Maybe Sometime in December 1957


> (1) New York Times for Sunday 18 February 2007 carried an article about
> an up coming exhibit of Sputnik I artefacts that fell in 8  December
> 1957.
> 
> Those not familiar with the Sputnik saga, it was launched in 4 October
> 1957 and  by official accounts reentered the earths atmosphere 4 January
> 1958. The original satellite was described to be the size of a beach
> ball (?)
> 
> According to the NYT newspaper, this past Sunday,  the 13 pieces  of the
> satellite fell to earth at Encino, Calif. in the early morning were
> plastic parts
> 
> What is interesting about the pictures presented of the pieces   found
> December 1957, they appear to be clear plastic rods that are either semi
> circular or bent. They are not melted into a molten glob.
> 
> The interesting part of seeing the reentry witnessed and finding the
> parts is the description in summary: The satellite  as it rested on the
> ground was described as being so bright that the witnesses had to view
> it (on the ground) with sunglasses, and waited until it cooled down
> before the pieces could be picked up.
> 
> Apparently the backyard where it fell, was not on fire.
> 
> The explanation for the plastic material, based on photographs and
> available information,  is the pieces found were from the 90 foot
> aluminum final stage of the launch vehicle.
> 
> Could an object be so bright that it needed to be viewed with
> sunglasses?
> 
> 2. As this is off topic,  but of interest for those  who for  past years
> have been viewing various space junk now entering the atmosphere as
> "meteors."
> 
> as a side note: names for things that fall from the sky - using the date
> 1803 as a starting  reference - we have meteor, shooting star,
> fire-ball,  bolide ( in the sky) or  aeolite, aerolite, meteorite,
> siderite (on the ground). And up until about 1860, it was accepted that
> the stuff - rocks - that fall from the sky were from the moon, the
> clouds, or blown into the sky by volcanos.
> 
> But if we use 1957 as a starting date,  what is the name for  man-made
> stuff that shoots across the sky at night (?) and  falls to earth in
> with a blazing  tail?
> 
> George John Drobnock
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ---
> Mailing list meteorobs: meteorobs at meteorobs.org
> To UNSUBSCRIBE, email: owner-meteorobs at meteorobs.org
> http://lists.meteorobs.org/mailman/listinfo/meteorobs
>



More information about the Meteorobs mailing list