[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: (meteorobs) FWD Re: October 9, 1997 Meteor
Here is the part that I find curious:
At 01:04 PM 11/24/97 -0500, you wrote:
>>I received the following from Rick recently.
[snip]
>...-as we approached the White Sands
>>>Missile Range-we were quick to note the amount of activity within the
>>>area. We saw the observatories that peppered the missle range were open
>>>toward the area we saw the fireball - people were also standing out on
>>>...
I really cannot conceive of anybody at White Sands calling out hundreds, or
even dozens, of technicians to open up all the camera observatories just
because an object flew overhead, apparently exploding into several pieces,
and left a large "smoke" cloud. For one thing, it takes time to get
everybody out there. For another, the cameras are not normally left in the
observatories, and film is never left in the cameras; time would be required
to set up the observatories.
For another, think of how the general public usually reacts to such events:
people stand around gawking for a few minutes, but soon get bored and go
their way. And the only ones who gawk are those who saw the event in the
first place. Here, Rick says that they saw activity on the range *at least*
an hour after, and probably more like 1-1/2 hours after, the event.
Even if folks at White Sands had some idea that what was seen was unusual in
some way, it still seems strange to me that they would all still be milling
about several hours after the event. And I know it had to be *at least* an
hour before Rick and his friend saw the folks at White Sands, because that's
how long the drive from north of Las Cruces, then east up over the mountain
pass and down into the valley where White Sands takes (and one runs the
strong risk of "delays" while the state troopers write you up for "excessive
speed" while climbing the mountain!).
Also, Rick doesn't state where he saw these people "from White Sands". The
vast majority of the observation sites on the range are not visible from the
highway passing through the range. OTOH, most of the old launch towers *are*
visible off in the distance several miles south of the highway. It is not at
all unusual for there to be considerable activity around there after an
"event", particularly after when a vehicle had to be destroyed. Normally,
Army contingents from the base north of El Paso are used to perform ground
searches for debris, both on the range and along the highway.
If Army personnel are what he and his companion saw, then it seems even more
likely to me that this was some kind of preplanned White Sands "event".
Concerning the "radar" picture: White Sands is only about 50 miles northwest
of El Paso. There are at least three roads one can take to get to either
White Sands or Alamogordo from El Paso, and all three will get you to either
destination within less than an hour or so. It is not unusual to be able to
see some high-altitude tests that culminate over White Sands from El Paso. I
suspect that the map picture sent to us as BIGTURN.JPG actually shows a
hand-drawn "radar track" of the object, and that the drawn track may not be
very accurate. In other words, it is quite possible that the *actual* track
may well have slanted more southeast than shown on that map which *could*
place the termination point near or somewhat north of El Paso.
It could still be that what Rick saw and what was reported to have fallen
around El Paso were two entirely different but coincident things...doesn't
seem likely, though.
Clear skies,
SteveH
Shrewsbury MA