faulknerwn 37 #1 February 16, 2009 Did anyone else at dzs in Texas see this? It was a giant fireball going from one horizon to another today! We actually had jumpers in the air and this frigging fireball appeared to go right by em! I'm just mad at myself for having a camera helmet in my hand but being too busy watching it to think to video it! I've seen a lot of meteorites in my life but nothing like this! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #2 February 16, 2009 I was at work, but I saw it through my windshield. I hit record on my video camera, but the angle was wrong. I was pretty disappointed I didn't capture it on video. You can imagine that a whole lot of people called 911 with various explanations of what they saw. I thought it was pretty danged cool, but then again, nothing hit the ground around me. --"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Beerlight 0 #3 February 16, 2009 What time did it come across? Didn't see anything in Houston but we had lots of cloud cover until around 2ish........Any news on what it was? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #4 February 16, 2009 What I saw, it was right about 11am. What I understand is that DPS sent teletypes across the state to warn about what happened and was was happening and that the FAA issued a NOTAM.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faulknerwn 37 #5 February 16, 2009 Its funny because it was north of us. Our pilot saw it but we had a spot a touch long to the north so the 4 jumpers under were all facing south so none of them saw it. I don't know what it looked like in College Station, but it looked iike it was gonna hit within 10 miles of us! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #6 February 16, 2009 Hmm, didn't I just read about a faulty satellite crashing into another about a week ago? How long before thet would spiral back to the ground?My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #7 February 16, 2009 http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/15/texas.sky.debris/ Quote (CNN) -- Sonic booms and at least one fireball in the sky were reported in Texas on Sunday, less than a week after two satellites collided in space and a day after the Federal Aviation Administration asked U.S. pilots to watch for "falling space debris," authorities said. Video captured in Austin, Texas, shows a meteor-like object in the sky Sunday morning. There were no reports of ground strikes or interference with aircraft in flight, FAA spokesman Roland Herwig said. Herwig told CNN the FAA received no reports from pilots in the air of any sightings but the agency recieved "numerous" calls from people on the ground from Dallas, Texas, south to Austin, Texas. Video shot by a photographer from News 8 TV in Austin showed what appeared to be a meteor-like white fireball blazing across a clear blue sky Sunday morning. The photographer caught the incident while covering a marathon in Austin. On Saturday, the FAA told pilots through its routine notification system that "a potential hazard may occur due to re-entry of satellite debris into the earth's atmosphere." The notice did not specify a time or location. Watch video of meteor-like fireball » Herwig said most of the reports the FAA received came in about midday Sunday in an area of Texas from Dallas south to Austin. He said he was not certain where the information that sparked the FAA notification came from, but it was "probably from NORAD," or the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which tracks man-made objects in space. Calls to NORAD headquarters in Colorado were not immediately returned. Lisa Block, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said her agency had received calls from residents surprised by sonic booms about 11 a.m. She said calls came from an area from Dallas to Houston. Last week, the Russian and U.S. space agencies said two satellites, one Russian and one American, collided about 496 miles (800 kilometers) above Siberia, Russia. The collision on Tuesday produced two large debris clouds, NASA said. The satellites collided at 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) per second, producing 500 to 600 pieces of space debris, the U.S. Strategic Command said. Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mdrejhon 8 #8 February 16, 2009 QuoteHmm, didn't I just read about a faulty satellite crashing into another about a week ago? How long before thet would spiral back to the ground?The satellites rammed into each other about 6 miles per second into each other, creating thousands of fragments from the aftermath -- it's well over 500-600 pieces when you include debris the size of sand grains. Over ten times faster than two Concorde jets crashing into each other at an approximately 90 degree angle. Some of the fragments did re-entry over Texas, while other fragments are doomed to orbit for thousands of years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #9 February 16, 2009 Apparently, there was another sighting around 655pm PST. here I guess there'll be pieces falling for awhile. I was curious as to how the richochet would affect other satellites. pieces from the 1st crash could crash with others. it'd be an interesting planet if we rain down all of the satellites. My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leroydb 0 #10 February 16, 2009 what are the chances that this could happen accidentally? what are the chances that this could happen on purpose?Leroy ..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #11 February 16, 2009 I thikn if it happened on purpose they would have targeted a more important satellite. Besides, in the original report (a week ago) the defunct russian satellite was floating around for almost a decade. It was a known possibility. On the conspiracy side of the coin you could say they reported that last bit to keep the US citizens collective heads in the sand. I say if it was on purpose..Good job they got us. Next theory My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
popsjumper 2 #12 February 16, 2009 Nah.....Amazon practicing for her Speed World Record attempt.My reality and yours are quite different. I think we're all Bozos on this bus. Falcon5232, SCS8170, SCSA353, POPS9398, DS239 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 0 #13 February 16, 2009 QuoteVideo shot by a photographer from News 8 TV in Austin showed what appeared to be a meteor-like white fireball blazing across a clear blue sky Sunday morning. The photographer caught the incident while covering a marathon in Austin. It was amusing - from the camera's angle, it almost looked like people were running away from it. I had this mad urge to photoshop an image of Godzilla in the background. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
antonija 0 #14 February 16, 2009 AFAIK the chance of those two satellites colliding should be about the same as me winning the lottery three times in a row. Both objects were travelling very fast, their orbits were at about 90 degree angle and the amount of space they had 800km above the earth is just ridiculously huge. But then again: If you have enough time everything possible will happen at least once :p P.S.: The satellites were Iridium 33 (used for commercial satellite phones) and Cosmos-2251 (old russian communication satellite).I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #15 February 16, 2009 Again, IIRC, The russian satellite( cosmos) was in a decending orbit for a very long time.My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #16 February 16, 2009 It looks like it was well north of us. Very well north. Like maybe even headed towards Waco. It also appeared to completely burn up in the atmosphere. It was on fire and sparkling like a child's 4th of July sparkler. It had a large plum of smoke behind it. It appeared the fire went *poof* and there wasn't any more fire and the smoke plum eventually started to drift away with the upper winds.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faulknerwn 37 #17 February 16, 2009 Same thing we saw. We're in Salado (halfway between Austin and Waco) and it was definitely well north of us.... I do agree that it looked like it burned up in the sky - it was still way high in the sky when it disappeared - and at that point it was almost straight north of us... Our pilot even saw it on descent! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #18 February 16, 2009 Now officials are saying it was not from the satelliteMy photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faulknerwn 37 #19 February 16, 2009 The Austin newspaper is now reporting that it was a pickup sized meteor! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stitch 0 #20 February 16, 2009 I think you ate some bad chocolate and are seeing things. "No cookies for you"- GFD "I don't think I like the sound of that" ~ MB65 Don't be a "Racer Hater" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jtval 0 #21 February 16, 2009 Meteor or not I wouldn't eat lunch off of it.My photos My Videos Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #22 February 17, 2009 As I understand it, Wendy has led the rush at the local Wal-Mart on tin-foil hats, to protect themselves from the mystery fireball from god. --"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 212 #23 February 17, 2009 Quote The Austin newspaper is now reporting that it was a pickup sized meteor! liberals and their media . . .papers here have it as debris. I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #24 February 17, 2009 Quote As I understand it, Wendy has led the rush at the local Wal-Mart on tin-foil hats, to protect themselves from the mystery fireball from god. THE SKY IS FALLING>>>>> THE SKY IS FALLING...QUICK CALL BILL Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
