Mysterious metal ball falls from space

[The One]

http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/NiYdu6tfeiHOi7RUBmw54g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9aW5zZXQ7aD00MjM7cT04NTt3PTYzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/afp.com/TRPar6736134.jpg


The hollow ball was found near a village about 480 miles from the capital Windhoek. Locals had heard several small explosions a few days beforehand.

A large metallic ball fell out of the sky on a remote grassland in Namibia. Baffled authorities have contacted NASA and the European space

Space junk?

Less than 3 weeks ago, a metal object dropped from the sky and smashed through the roof of a Massachusetts business. The metal object was obviously machine made, but the FAA confirmed that it didn’t come from any airplane — leading to speculation that it’s space junk.

The hollow ball that fell from the sky in Namibia has a circumference of 43 inches (1.1 metres). It was found near a village about 480 miles (750 kilometres) from the capital Windhoek [map], according to police forensics director Paul Ludik.

What intriguing about this case is the reports of locals having heard several small explosions a few days before finding the metal ball.

It was found 18 metres from its landing spot, a hole 33 centimeters deep and 3.8 meters wide. With a diameter of 14 inches (35 centimeters), the ball has a rough surface and appears to consist of two halves welded together, according to the article.

It weighed 13 pounds (six kilograms), and was made of a “metal alloy known to man,” the police forensics director Paul Ludik said — apparently seeking to dispel any rumors that the metal ball is of extraterrestrial origin.

The sphere was discovered mid-November, but authorities first did tests before announcing the find

http://www.datelinezero.com/2011/12/23/mysterious-metal-ball-falls-from-space/

[Paa]

-I've removed this post-

[Ishtar]

Any one of these satellites could have dropped it.

http://www.natural-environment.com/images/blog/space_junk_3.jpg

[toad]

Any one of these satellites could have dropped it.

http://www.natural-environment.com/images/blog/space_junk_3.jpg

Not to mention each time something goes up beyond the atmosphere and puts something into orbit it leaves behind a plethora of junk and random things. The booms could've been from it re-entering our atmosphere.

[Unified Serenity]

Any one of these satellites could have dropped it.

http://www.natural-environment.com/images/blog/space_junk_3.jpg

That picture is great at putting things into perspective. I wonder just what the justification is each time they put a new satallite up there. What a trashy looking sky.

[Paa]

-I've removed this post-

[Unified Serenity]

Great find!


104 Litre Hydrazine Propellant Tank

12151




My guess is this:

http://cs.astrium.eads.net/sp/spacecraft-propulsion/propellant-tanks/104-litre-hydrazine-propellant-tank.html

http://fernlea.tripod.com/tank.html

[Sidney]

Look out, the sky is falling.:peep: Gawd, that thing could cause some serious brain damage. lol

[Molly]

yaaay space litter! because trashing up the planet itself just isn't enough :rolleyes:

[toad]

Any one of these satellites could have dropped it.

http://www.natural-environment.com/images/blog/space_junk_3.jpg

That picture is great at putting things into perspective. I wonder just what the justification is each time they put a new satallite up there. What a trashy looking sky.

Except it actually probably looks nothing like that, as satellites aren't nearly as big as rhode island. It will only get alot worse asfar as junk is concerned, and will perpetuate itself, as junk takes out satellites, and creates more junk, and that junk destroys things, and creates more junk etc... Someone will become a very rich man if they can find an economical way to harvest the junk in space.

[Atlas]

Posted by DAILY MAIL REPORTER (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2078428/Great-space-ball-mystery-SOLVED.html), 27 December 2011:

Great space ball mystery SOLVED: Metal sphere that crashed to Earth in Namibian desert is a fuel tank from an unmanned rocket (not a 'doomsday device')

It was hailed as a doomsday device, an instrument from a weather balloon or proof that extra terrestrial life existed. Some claimed that it could be an escaped particle from the Large Hadron Collider, reindeer droppings or a Quaffle from the Harry Potter films.

But the mysterious metal sphere fell to the ground in a remote area of northern Namibia has now been identified as a hydrazine tank from an unmanned rocket, commonly used in satellite launches. When the 13lbs, 14 inch ball smashed to earth in mid- November it sparked a national security issue with the Namibian authorities asking NASA for help in identifying it.

Adrian Chen of Gawker reported that it was most likely a fuel tank for storing hydrazine on unmanned rockets. He said this after a commentator wrote on his blog: 'For anyone wondering what it actually is, it's likely a 39-litre hydrazine bladder tank. 'They're used on unmanned rockets for satellite launches, which would explain why they're falling down in such a specific geographic footprint.'

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/12/25/article-2078428-0F45AD9F00000578-402_306x423.jpg
39 Litre Hydrazine propellant tank for spacecraft

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In September, the National Research Council warned NASA that space debris has passed the “tipping point,” The Post’s Christian Torres wrote. “There are more than 22,000 such pieces in orbit. NASA estimates there could be hundreds of thousands — or even millions — of smaller, non-trackable pieces of debris also in space.” Here’s a depiction released by NASA of what the space around Earth may look like.

http://www.tarrdaniel.com/documents/Ufology/images/SpaceBalls/space_debris.jpg

One thing we have going for us on Earth: There’s a lot of empty land out there — and even more open ocean. The chances of debris hitting even one of the 7 billion people on the planet are about 1 to 3,200. As with the case of the mystery ball of Namibia, the objects probably won’t hit anyone.

Source: tarrdaniel.com/documents/Ufology/space_balls.html (http://www.tarrdaniel.com/documents/Ufology/space_balls.html)