Mystery Object Falls to Ground in India

I wonder with all the space junk up there how much stuff can fall from up there besides meteorites?
 
Debi said:
I wonder with all the space junk up there how much stuff can fall from up there besides meteorites?
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I'd think orders of magnitude more space junk reenters the atmosphere compared to what makes it to the ground. Assuming the metallurgical analysis of the object is accurate, some smart material's analyst should be capable of determining if it's man- made and if it's likely to physically withstand reentry.

If it's man-made, an educated guess is it might be part of the shielding around a satellite's nuke reactor. That material is designed to be highly heat resistant as it is, and has been been known to survive reentry in the past.
 
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Duke said:
I'd think orders of magnitude more space junk reenters the atmosphere compared to what makes it to the ground. Assuming the metallurgical analysis of the object is accurate, some smart material's analyst should be capable of determining if it's man- made and if it's likely to physically withstand reentry.

If it's man-made, an educated guess is it might be part of the shielding around a satellite's nuke reactor. That material is designed to be highly heat resistant as it is, and has been been known to survive reentry in the past.
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OK, so next question is...does the nuke material make it to the ground?
 
Debi said:
OK, so next question is...does the nuke material make it to the ground?
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It has happened before. I remember a Soviet nuke powered satellite reentering and spreading radioactive material in northern Canada. This occurred while I was in college (1978, I think) and taking Orbital Mechanics. It was quite a teaching point.
 
Duke said:
It has happened before. I remember a Soviet nuke powered satellite reentering and spreading radioactive material in northern Canada. This occurred while I was in college (1978, I think) and taking Orbital Mechanics. It was quite a teaching point.
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Great to know! Good grief.
 
Duke said:
It has happened before. I remember a Soviet nuke powered satellite reentering and spreading radioactive material in northern Canada. This occurred while I was in college (1978, I think) and taking Orbital Mechanics. It was quite a teaching point.
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Jeezers Duke. Now I have a new phobia.
 
I would have liked to see a photo of the original hole in the ground that thing made when it landed.
 
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If it’s a rock , I’m thinking a chunk would polish into a pretty stone. ;)
 
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