Sunday, December 25, 2011

Mystery Space Ball Mystery Solved.

A couple days ago, I noted the discovery of a metal sphere that had fallen from space into the desert of Namibia. The mystery of the sphere appears to have been solved:
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.'

When the ball fell it caused a crater 12 inches deep and 13ft wide, although it was found some 60ft away.

Locals claimed to have heard several explosions in the days before it was discovered by a farmer on his land.
 (Full story and photos here).

No comments:

Post a Comment