Author Topic: Can any one identify this  (Read 24250 times)

Offline Steve D

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Can any one identify this
« on: 02/20/2010 03:48 am »
This washed up on the beach on the yucatan about halfway between Cancun and the Belize border on or about nov 4th 2009.


Its about 4 to 5 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. Has this tag on the inside.

Seems to be a composite material with a honeycomb structure.
Thanks.
Steve

(Photos attached as embedded images are at the mercy of how long they stay up on the external site)
« Last Edit: 02/20/2010 04:22 am by Chris Bergin »

Offline Oberon_Command

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #1 on: 02/20/2010 04:11 am »
Looks to my (amateur) eyes like a piece of an Ariane 5 payload fairing.

Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #2 on: 02/20/2010 04:20 am »
Could be the bottom part of an Ariane 5 fairing. You can see the logo in reference to the vehicle below.

Did you find it and are these your photos?
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Online The-Hammer

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #3 on: 02/20/2010 04:54 am »
Also note the bottom left entry on the tag is "PLF No.".

Fourth on the right is "Accept: 12.08". This could indicate that it was accepted in December 2008.

Assuming that it was "Accepted" on 12.08 and without knowing what exactly defines "acceptance", there are 5 possible launches that this could be a part of.

(From Wikipedia)
2009-02-12 Hot Bird 10 , NSS-9 , Spirale A , Spirale B
2009-05-14 Herschel, Planck
2009-07-01 TerreStar-1
2009-08-21 JCSat 12 / Optus D3
2009-10-01 Amazonas 2 / COMSATBw-1
2009-10-29 NSS-12 / Thor-6

Grant Imahara: Oxygen deficiency alarm? Is that something I should be worried about?
NASA worker: Only if it goes off.

Offline Steve D

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #4 on: 02/20/2010 12:32 pm »
A friend of mine found it and I took the pictures. If this was launched from Guyana how did it get to the yucatan in this short of a time frame? Wouldnt a payload fairing impact the eastern atlantic? It would have to travel thousands of miles to get here.

Offline Steve D

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #5 on: 02/20/2010 12:59 pm »
Looks like the 2009-05-14 Herschel, Planck fairing. There is writing on it that says Sylda antenna. Did a search for sylda and came up with the herschel  plank reference. Where would the payload fairing impact?

Offline robertross

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #6 on: 02/20/2010 01:42 pm »
A friend of mine found it and I took the pictures. If this was launched from Guyana how did it get to the yucatan in this short of a time frame? Wouldnt a payload fairing impact the eastern atlantic? It would have to travel thousands of miles to get here.

All I can say is: you have a lucky friend  :)

Offline Jester

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #7 on: 02/20/2010 03:10 pm »
Looks like the 2009-05-14 Herschel, Planck fairing. There is writing on it that says Sylda antenna. Did a search for sylda and came up with the herschel  plank reference. Where would the payload fairing impact?

I'll check this internally, however the antenna is part of the SYLDA dispenser, which is used on more missions.

It ending up in that part of the world could suggest a SSO / polar circular orbit.

more later after I dig around....

Offline Jester

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #8 on: 02/20/2010 03:23 pm »
I'm in doubt that it's the herschel planck fairing, the fairing seam for that fairing was near the letter a as you can see in the image below.
« Last Edit: 02/20/2010 03:23 pm by Jester »

Offline InvalidAttitude

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #9 on: 02/20/2010 03:32 pm »
If the PLF No. means Payload Fairing and it was started from 500 then I guess it was the 47th launch which was the Amazonas 2 / COMSATBw-1 on 2009-10-01...

Offline Jester

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #10 on: 02/20/2010 03:35 pm »
I can check at work on monday, but if I remember correct the tag id image above shows the serial as being C547 which would make it TerreStar-1

P.S.

You might want to warn your friend that usually Arianespace wants stuff like this back.....
« Last Edit: 02/20/2010 03:36 pm by Jester »

Offline Cog_in_the_machine

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #11 on: 02/20/2010 03:43 pm »
You might want to warn your friend that usually Arianespace wants stuff like this back.....
Unless someone from Arianespace is lurking here I say keep it and mount it on your wall or something :-p
« Last Edit: 02/20/2010 03:44 pm by Cog_in_the_machine »
^^ Warning! Contains opinions. ^^ 

Offline Jester

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #12 on: 02/20/2010 03:51 pm »
You might want to warn your friend that usually Arianespace wants stuff like this back.....
Unless someone from Arianespace is lurking here I say keep it and mount it on your wall or something :-p

Trust me, there ARE...
however, they would do the same and they have....but you didnt hear this from me ;)

Offline Chris Bergin

Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #13 on: 02/20/2010 08:22 pm »
A friend of mine found it and I took the pictures.

That is awesome! Some find there :)
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Offline spinkao

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #14 on: 02/20/2010 08:53 pm »
I can check at work on monday, but if I remember correct the tag id image above shows the serial as being C547 which would make it TerreStar-1

P.S.

You might want to warn your friend that usually Arianespace wants stuff like this back.....

Why do they want it back? Do they perform some kind of analysis on debris like that?
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. - Arthur Charles Clarke

Offline Namechange User

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #15 on: 02/20/2010 08:54 pm »
Some number of years ago an Ariane nose cone washed up on the shores of South Texas after being carried there by ocean currents, etc.  The locals found it along the beach and turned it into a hot tub.  Eventually the French came and took it from them....
Enjoying viewing the forum a little better now by filtering certain users.

Offline ugordan

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #16 on: 02/20/2010 08:57 pm »
The locals found it along the beach and turned it into a hot tub.  Eventually the French came and took it from them....

LOL.

What ever happened to finders - keepers, anyway?

Offline Jester

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #17 on: 02/20/2010 09:04 pm »
Some number of years ago an Ariane nose cone washed up on the shores of South Texas after being carried there by ocean currents, etc.  The locals found it along the beach and turned it into a hot tub.  Eventually the French came and took it from them....

yup, my point exactly

it was in 2000 at Mustang Island State Park
« Last Edit: 02/20/2010 09:25 pm by Jester »

Offline ugordan

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #18 on: 02/20/2010 09:09 pm »
That strikes me as rather silly behavior. If they don't want their stuff ending up in other people's hands, maybe they should rethink the whole concept of dropping it from the sky into international waters in the first place.

Offline mmeijeri

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Re: Can any one identify this
« Reply #19 on: 02/20/2010 09:12 pm »
It's deliberately jettisoned, doesn't that make it jetsam?
Pro-tip: you don't have to be a jerk if someone doesn't agree with your theories

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