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Mystery flash during Shenzhou 9 launch
by
pberrett
on 20 Jun, 2012 07:47
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#1
by
Helodriver
on 20 Jun, 2012 08:05
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Without seeing high resolution video, it could very well be the fairing the caption at the bottom of the screen refers to. It seems like the other half is visible on the far left side of the image.
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#2
by
osiossim
on 20 Jun, 2012 08:23
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It doesnot seem like a flashing event. It looks like an object moves at very high speed around 100-120 km altitude or higher. Possibly a LEO satellite or maybe a meteorite.
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#3
by
input~2
on 20 Jun, 2012 08:29
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it could very well be the fairing the caption at the bottom of the screen refers to. It seems like the other half is visible on the far left side of the image.
I don't think so.. The two halves of the fairing are clearly visible in the bottom left corner of the video
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#4
by
Mapperuo
on 20 Jun, 2012 10:29
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Although the rocket is steady in view, how fast is the camera panning to keep up with it? Maybe it's just an object much lower, like a plane? Passing, added with the speed of the tracking camera.
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#5
by
ugordan
on 20 Jun, 2012 13:18
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Looks like a weather balloon to me.
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#6
by
HappyMartian
on 20 Jun, 2012 13:41
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Looks like a weather balloon to me.
Wow! Thank you ugordan! That chart really explains things. If my good friend and I had known about that chart back in 1975, we wouldn't have been so amazed about what we saw! Live and learn.
Cheers!
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#7
by
Danderman
on 20 Jun, 2012 13:42
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Looked like a bird to me.
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#8
by
BigRIJoe
on 20 Jun, 2012 13:53
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Could it be the escape tower jettisoning ?
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#9
by
Thunderbird5
on 20 Jun, 2012 20:55
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I assume it's the jettisoned escape tower, and that matches with the audio on the video; the "flashes" below in the picture being the fairing
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#10
by
LegendCJS
on 20 Jun, 2012 21:03
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I assume it's the jettisoned escape tower, and that matches with the audio on the video; the "flashes" below in the picture being the fairing
Not a chance. It doesn't begin near the vehicle. It "beings" by entering the frame from upper half of the right side and moves in the 10 o'clock direction until exit of frame on the left side of the upper boundary. Did you watch the video? The vehicle is roughly centered in frame the whole time. The white speck highlighted is not part of the rocket. The word "flash" is a bad translation for whatever this is. Reminds me more of the shots of birds or insects passing through frame.
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#11
by
Thunderbird5
on 20 Jun, 2012 22:52
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I assume it's the jettisoned escape tower, and that matches with the audio on the video; the "flashes" below in the picture being the fairing
Not a chance. It doesn't begin near the vehicle. It "beings" by entering the frame from upper half of the right side and moves in the 10 o'clock direction until exit of frame on the left side of the upper boundary. Did you watch the video? The vehicle is roughly centered in frame the whole time. The white speck highlighted is not part of the rocket. The word "flash" is a bad translation for whatever this is. Reminds me more of the shots of birds or insects passing through frame.
Yes, if you watch the full video of the launch, just before this clip they announce the jettisoning of the escape tower. The way I saw the video, that was the jettisoned tower falling back through frame below the launcher; i.e. it's a bit of an optical illusion.
EDIT: Typo!
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#12
by
Dalhousie
on 20 Jun, 2012 23:10
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This is a thermal IR image. Whatever it is is hot, my thought at the time was that it was a bird, passing right to left I still do.
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#13
by
sdsds
on 21 Jun, 2012 03:03
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Spysat.
Um, I meant to say "weather balloon."
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#14
by
ace5
on 21 Jun, 2012 11:47
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Maybe a star or a planet, and the seemingly fast pass is dur to camera movement. Anyone able to track planet/stars positions at Lauch site field of view to check this possibility?
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#15
by
Zero-G
on 21 Jun, 2012 13:32
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I assume it's the jettisoned escape tower, and that matches with the audio on the video; the "flashes" below in the picture being the fairing
Not a chance. It doesn't begin near the vehicle. It "beings" by entering the frame from upper half of the right side and moves in the 10 o'clock direction until exit of frame on the left side of the upper boundary. Did you watch the video? The vehicle is roughly centered in frame the whole time. The white speck highlighted is not part of the rocket. The word "flash" is a bad translation for whatever this is. Reminds me more of the shots of birds or insects passing through frame.
Yes, if you watch the full video of the launch, just before this clip they announce the jettisoning of the escape tower. The way I saw the video, that was the jettisoned tower falling back through frame below the launcher; i.e. it's a bit of an optical illusion.
EDIT: Typo!
I don't think it's the LES tower: LES was separated at T+120, while the fairing, which can be seen on the left edge of the frame when the unknown object enters on the right, was separated at T+208. By that time, the LES would be long gone and would be way out of frame somewhere to the left and below. It sure would not reappear again suddenly from the right.
In this launch replay at 1:16, the LES can actually be seen separating and tumbling away down and to the left:
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#16
by
pberrett
on 22 Jun, 2012 13:01
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#17
by
Silmfeanor
on 22 Jun, 2012 13:11
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#18
by
pberrett
on 23 Jun, 2012 02:51
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Point taken about the thermal imagery although the timing of the landing so shortly after the launch does add some weight to the assertion that there is some sort of connection.