Waspie_Dwarf Posted April 30, 2014 #1 Share Posted April 30, 2014 Brazilian fisherman finds satellite debris in Amazon river A fisherman in Brazil's Amazon region has found a large piece of debris from a European space launch.The man said he found the metal object floating on a remote river in the municipality of Salinopolis. The debris has been confirmed as coming from a satellite launched from the Kourou base, in neighbouring French Guiana, last July Read more... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted April 30, 2014 Author #2 Share Posted April 30, 2014 A little correction to the above story: The debris is not actually "satellite debris". It is part of the fairing which protects the satellite during the early phase of the launch. It is a two piece structure which encases the payload, providing protecting from acoustic and aerodynamic effects. Once the launcher, in this case an Ariane 5, has cleared the majority of the atmosphere it is no longer needed and it separates from the rocket. With an Ariane 5 this occurs about 3 minutes into the flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taniwha Posted April 30, 2014 #3 Share Posted April 30, 2014 A blast from the past... http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=251752 A bounty for the salvage would be a nice reward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted April 30, 2014 Author #4 Share Posted April 30, 2014 A bounty for the salvage would be a nice reward. Why? The fairing is mostly carbon fibre, it is not recyclable and has virtually no scrap value. After dropping back to Earth from an altitude of 100 km it is not reusable. So if you pay what it is worth then you would pay absolutely nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taniwha Posted May 1, 2014 #5 Share Posted May 1, 2014 Why? The fairing is mostly carbon fibre, it is not recyclable and has virtually no scrap value. After dropping back to Earth from an altitude of 100 km it is not reusable. So if you pay what it is worth then you would pay absolutely nothing. Sure, then I guess someone should let these guys know to save themselves the cost of a phone call. Brazilian authorities in northern Para state said they would contact the UK Space Agency and ask them to collect the object. I wonder if its worth the trip to pick up their rubbish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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