Odd Anomaly During Recent SpaceX ES'HAIL-2 MISSION re-entry

So I enjoy watching Space X launches to see the landings, unfortunately due to it landing on the drone ship they always have poor communications with the camera feed so it wasn't shown. I missed the launch live so I watched the replay of the launch and the landing. During the video footage of the re-entry of the stage 1 there was something that zipped pasted quite close to the stage 1 body, I'd say too close for comfort. Now I'm not saying it was a UFO or alien ship but it didn't look like ice or anything. So I'm just putting it out there for anyone's opinions

If you go to play to the video and start at the 28:00 minute mark the object flies by a few seconds after the 28:00 mark. Sorry if you can't view the video it's the only link I can find
www.spacex.com...

a reply to: ThePeaceMaker

looks interesting! what if that hit the ship?

I thought it looks off in the distance. It is the left panel correct?

a reply to: roadgravel
To me look looks as though it zips straight past the stage 1, keeping in mind that the stage 1 at the time is descending toward the earth. The commentator says the stage 1 is point engine first toward the earth in preparation for re-entry burn. Going the way I'm thinking it's like as if the stage 1 was above the object and passed it as it was descending

I'm a simple thinker that's why I have shared it to get other people's views

originally posted by: roadgravel
I thought it looks off in the distance. It is the left panel correct?

Sorry misunderstood you're reply .. yes we are looking at the left hand side screen

First of all, there were numerous little blobs flying off at various times, not just one. The one you pointed out near 28:00 was the biggest one but not the only one.

I suspect those were pieces of ice or frost coming out of the engine bay that built up on plumbing in there when the rocket was fueled up on the launch pad. The F9 is a LOX-Kerosene rocket, and it has both of those propellants still on board after the second stage separates--it needs them to conduct the retrograde and landing burns. That means that some of the plumbing was still cold. a reply to: ThePeaceMaker

a reply to: 1947boomer
Thanks for the insight watching the video again it does seem to come from the bottom part of the rocket but has it passes it seemed to be further away that it should be if it was coming off the rocket if you get me. I understand though it could simple be pushed further away as it flies past

I took some screen shots from my phone which I viewed the video from

It looks like the rocket passes by it. It appears out, away in the distance and can be followed toward the rocket. At least it seems to look that way to me.

I noticed that as it happened. One thing to remember is that we are looking from the very top of the booster down, but the bottom of the booster is not visible to us. This is kind of a distorted view, though it makes sense as it is a camera mounted on a very long tube. We see through the controlling fins toward the bottom. I agree with the poster above that this is likely debris from the bottom of the booster.

I went to full screen and going backwards it does go down to the bottom. Maybe it is debris.

My logical mind is telling me it's debris from the stage 1 as well when I first saw it though it just seemed to large to be debris. Sorry if the post was a waste of time I really just posted for others for example like schuyler who maybe saw the footage as well who thought 'what was that' .. at least maybe we won't get any 'UFO spotted on space X re-entry' type threads hehehe. Mind you though I'm half expecting someone like secureteam10 to make some sort of video about it. Thanks for everyone's input

PS: Schuyler your avatar is creepy as f

originally posted by: schuyler
I noticed that as it happened. One thing to remember is that we are looking from the very top of the booster down, but the bottom of the booster is not visible to us. This is kind of a distorted view, though it makes sense as it is a camera mounted on a very long tube. We see through the controlling fins toward the bottom. I agree with the poster above that this is likely debris from the bottom of the booster.

On a side note in regard to the camera I understand what you mean about the view. When I first watched a SpaceX landing I assumed the fins were on the lower part of the booster it wasn't until I saw the booster landing and wondered where the fins were that I realised the fins were at the top which meant the camera was further up as well

Could it be the payload shroud that they keep wanting to recover?? It might be on it's way down but slower??

originally posted by: mikell
Could it be the payload shroud that they keep wanting to recover?? It might be on it's way down but slower??

Can you explain ? You've lost me

a reply to: ThePeaceMaker


ummmm 28 minute mark is an animation not the rocket, unless I am missing something

originally posted by: norhoc
a reply to: ThePeaceMaker


ummmm 28 minute mark is an animation not the rocket, unless I am missing something

I think they must of updated the video, start from 21:00 minutes in the object appears a few seconds after

At the point where these blobs start appearing, the first stage is already starting to reenter the atmosphere. That means that there's enough aerodynamic drag acting on both the first stage and the ice/frost blobs to cause them to decelerate. There is a parameter that we rocket scientists use to determine how fast an object will decelerate when subject to a given ram air pressure that's called the ballistic coefficient. It's the exact same parameter that determines how rapidly a bullet will lose its energy after it leaves the gun barrel. Long, dense objects (like the first stage or a bullet) have large ballistic coefficients and will take longer to slow down. Blunt, light objects (like a balloon or a blob of frost) have small ballistic coefficients and will slow down much quicker. This difference in deceleration rates will cause two objects to separate. From the point of view of the first stage pointed into the wind, objects with lower ballistic coefficients emanating from the base of the rocket will appear to flow up past the stage, which is what it looks like to me is happening. a reply to: ThePeaceMaker

There's another object coming up from the bottom a few seconds later, but on the left side of the rocket.

Looks like ice debris dislodged when the rocket was firing those little bursts.

Prior to the OP's object, you can see lots of little bits of debris whizzing about. Since it's a Youtube video, watch those moments at 0.25 speed.

a reply to: 1947boomer
Thanks for the replies, when I was watching it live it just seemed as if it was something other than ice as it flew by and the camera view made it appear the booster had descended past an object. But like you and others have said I believe it is now a piece of ice

*sigh* guess I'll have to wait for the aliens to appear in their own time

Thanks again