1mo ago

500 kg, 2.5 meter #object from #space crashes into Mukuku village in Makueni county, #Kenya -

It is claimed its sound could be heard from 200 km away.

Current identification says it is a #separation #ring from a #rocket

(and it does in fact resemble one) -

any experts here who recognize the make?

@space @planet4589
@esa
@nasa (more links in first comment)

https://nation.africa/kenya/news/object-that-fell-from-the-skies-identified-as-separation-ring-from-a-rocket-4875322

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4 comments

That absolutely does not look like it fell from orbit. Hell, it barely looks like it fell from very high at all!
Maybe there was some kind of spin-stabilized airfoil effect as it dropped? Or are these things just the most durable objects ever?
- @Taralcaran
  Not everyone is convinced, no -
  "However, sky watching veteran and reentry tracker, Jonathan McDowell who works at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told Inside Outer Space that there is "no obvious space candidate. I am not convinced it's not from an airplane. Don’t see obvious evidence of reentry heating.""
  https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/space-debris-crashes-into-kenyan-village-believed-to-be-leftover-rocket-hardware
  @planet4589
  kenya #space #rocket #debris ?
  
  Jonathan McDowell who works at the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told Inside Outer Space that there is “no obvious space candidate
  He has since revised his opinion after reviewing more data: https://bsky.app/profile/planet4589.bsky.social/post/3lezeu2zodk22
  Well, my skepticism about the Kenya space debris may have been wrong. I reviewed the data again, concluding that Space Force estimates of the Ariane V184 upper stage reentry are unreliable; an assocation with this object can't be ruled out.
  He has posted a more detailed writeup here: https://planet4589.org/space/misc/kenya/index.html
- I doubt it would be spin-stabilized. I think tumbling would be more likely.
  It looks like it has a decent amount of cross-sectional area for its mass. If it is steel, it could withstand pretty high temperatures without melting.