Mysterious object falls out of the sky, crashes through house

There was also a mention of a previous incident when a part of the train brake broke off, was catapulted at high speed and landed like a mile away from the tracks. We don't know enough detail.

Originally posted by Chucktah
I was reading earlier on the satellites that crashed, and they seemed confident that most likely any debris that flowed toward the earth would be burnt up in the atmosphere.

Correct. As I've tried to explain numerous times here on ATS (but no one seems to want to listen), the collision that occurred was extremely energetic. The satellites collided at a combined speed of 11.6 km/s. That's more than enough to completely obliterate both satellites, leaving behind just small pieces. Most of these pieces are thought to be no larger than a tennis ball.

The resulting "unprecedented" debris field, says Lewis, is still being analysed by space agencies. But he expects it to create an extra 10,000 debris shards varying in size from centimetres to tennis-ball sized – more than triple the number created in the ASAT test.

"There was more energy here than in the Chinese ASAT test so it's possible we'll see more debris," Lewis says.

Nicholas Johnson, chief scientist for orbital debris at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, says the exact amount of debris generated in the collision depends on the geometry of the smashup, which is not yet known.

Source: newscientist.com

Originally posted by Chucktah
What I was wondering is how big, or dense does something have to be to enter the earths atmosphere and still have some remnants left over afterwards? Or is it mainly on the composition of the object?

It's a combination of factors: composition, orbital velocity, size and angle of entry.

In the case of satellite debris, it usually takes quite a large chunk to survive reentry. Most would be ablated (stripped) away during the reentry, if it's a medium sized object (around the size of an old CRT TV), perhaps leaving a few harder bits to reach the ground.

With debris of the size being talked about in the link I gave above, it's doubtful that anything would survive a reentry, and as I have said in previous posts on this subject, most of it will be up there for a long long time to come.

I guess I am trying to understand the energy involved in an object penetrating not only the roof, but the ceiling and floor of the second floor and the ceiling of the first floor. It seems if it was thrown from a machine close by, it wouldn't have the required force to do all that. My guess is it fell off of a plane. Just a guess though.

reply to post by network dude


I think that in cases like this, most of the energy is imparted on the object by the 'snapping' of some component. These objects are quite chunky, and were obviously designed to take allot of stress at the the expense of weight. It takes allot of energy to snap a component off like this.

Those bolt holes may indicate where the component was attached/broke. I'd imagine those bolts were pretty chunky and could take a good few tonnes each before snapping. Anything flying free would be a serious projectile, more like a small canon ball than anything else.

Crashing through tiles/roofing asphalt, then through a bit of rock-wool insulation and plaster board (ceiling) would hardly slow it, if it's anything like the house I live in now. Crashing through the floor would probably take a fair bit out of it, leaving the fridge to absorb most of what energy is left.

Having said all that, there is always a chance it fell from a plane too, although I'd be more inclined to stay with the machinery explanation going on what we know so far.

If we knew what metal it was, then we could be a bit more sure perhaps.

The surface of the object looks pretty torn up to me, and I think that may have been damage done to it on it's way out of the machine shop that it came from. It certainly does not look like the type of pitting you'd expect to see on an object that had decayed from orbit (in case anyone out there was thinking that). In space-debris/meteorites, the sides tend to get rounded off, and any jagged areas are smoothed away, so we can say for sure that that was not from space.

If it fell from a plane, only going through a roof, I don't think it would look so torn up as it does, but it's possible I suppose...

People its from an alien craft there's been at least 14 more I can name but still who cant think that its not. Any way how could a wood chipper or something else make that much metal come off? There's so many cover up story's going around these days. Anyway have they even tested the metal¿ how could it not be alien no one loses a chunk of metal that big and doesn't try to find it.
So it alien got it? The cover up stories are getting worse and worse with everyone I mean come on! How could a wood chipper lose metal???

There coming............................

Originally posted by C.H.U.D.
Crashing through tiles/roofing asphalt, then through a bit of rock-wool insulation and plaster board (ceiling) would hardly slow it, if it's anything like the house I live in now. Crashing through the floor would probably take a fair bit out of it, leaving the fridge to absorb most of what energy is left.

Having said all that, there is always a chance it fell from a plane too, although I'd be more inclined to stay with the machinery explanation going on what we know so far.

How would you explain (if we're to posit the machinery/projectile theory) that the object lost all of it's trajectory when it reached the roof, and started on a completely downward path? The energy that would be required to impart such a thing is unimaginable to say the least.

This object had to be falling straight down from above with an incredible velocity. It would seem to me that what you suggested is practically a physical impossibility. Think of a bullet, it doesn't cavitate the chest and work it way down to the feet.


AB1

reply to post by alphabetaone


It may well have already been on a more or less downward trajectory for all we know. Even if it was not already, sizable projectiles can easily ricochet/be deflected by solid objects, hitting a beam for example.

In the case of bullets, when they enter human bodies, they can often be deflected by bones, and end up going in odd directions. They don't always remain on a straight trajectory.

Study up a little on it, it's easily possible.

I live in the Dallas area and 2 nights ago this story ran on the local fox news. This item was determined to be from an industrial wood chipper. It turns out that there is a machinery rental shop 1 block over from the location of this incident that WAS running a wood chipper at the time of the incident; however, they would not comment as to whether or not the machine had malfunctioned.

19 months ago another wood chipper did the same thing.
www.daylife.com...

Now two incidents with in two weeks.

Those dang Chinese selling substandard bolts is what one machinist web site has come-up with as a cause.

I tend to go with that as a cause because i also have had problems with counterfit grade 5 bolt in a impact type rock crusher that did the same thing.

reply to post by ANNED


Thanks for posting that ANNED,

I had no idea this problem was so bad.

How long in your case did it take the bolts to fail if you don't mind me asking?

I wouldn't like to be living too close to a machine shop right now!

Double post - ignore

[edit on 27-2-2009 by C.H.U.D.]

reply to post by Chucktah


Look up Al Smith Moving 33 Pacific Ave. in Jersy City Dated February 18, 2009 at 9:30AM. The piece of metal that fell through the roof of that building looks exactly like the one that just fell through the roof of the house in Dallas. Approx. 3" x 6" with two drilled holes. It also was glowing red hot.

David M.
Houston, Texas