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Space debris may be raining on Central Texas, authorities search by helicopter
UPDATE - 10:07 p.m.
The U.S. Strategic Command said there was no connection to the sightings over Texas and Tuesday’s collision of satellites from the U.S. and Russia.
“There is no correlation between the debris from that collision and those reports of re-entry,” said Maj. Regina Winchester, with STRATCOM.
UPDATE - 7:50 p.m.
The sky wasn’t falling and there wasn’t an earthquake. No rockets were tested in McGregor and the Space Shuttle is fine.
What many Central Texans reported feeling, hearing and seeing about 11 a.m. Sunday was likely falling debris from two communications satellites that collided in space last week, federal, state and local officials said.
Law enforcement dispatchers across Central Texas fielded calls from concerned residents who reported seeing fireballs in the sky and hearing sonic booms or explosions that rattled their windows.
No one reported to the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office finding debris that was believed to have come from Tuesday’s collision between an American and Russian satellite.
Sheriff’s office chief pilot Stu Royle flew a path from West, Leroy, Axtell, Riesel to Mart for about two hours after calls started coming in about the unusual occurrence, Chief Deputy Randy Plemons said. Royle saw nothing out of the ordinary, he said.
Officials said the high-speed collision, over Siberia in Russia, was the first such incident involvinh intact satellites.
The American satellite was an Iridium, one of a constellation of 66 communication spacecraft. Liz DeCastro, corporate communications director of Iridium Satellite, based in Bethesda, Md., said the satellite weighed about 1,200 pounds and that its body was more than 12 feet long, not including large solar arrays. The Russian communications satellite was presumed nonfunctional.
David Wright of the Union of Concerned Scientists’ Global Security said the collision probably generated tens of thousands of pieces larger than a half-inch. He said those could damage or destroy other satellites. Officials did not say Sunday how many, if any larger pieces were expected to enter the atmosphere in coming days.
Plemons said law enforcement agencies began getting calls midday Sunday from West residents, then people from Leroy, Axtell, Riesel and Mart. A deputy who works in that part of the county did not find any such debris, he said.
Plemons warned anyone who finds what they think is satellite debris not to touch it and asked that they contact the sheriff’s office, which will send someone to secure it until the proper authorities can be notified.
Brian Vanicek, 49, reported he and his 14-year-old son saw what he described as a “fireball” at 10:58 a.m. Sunday while traveling northwest on Farm-to-Market Road 485 near the Bell-Milam county line. Vanicek said the streak of light was to the north, in the direction of Waco or beyond.
“We just happened to look in that direction, and at first it looked like a falling star, Vanicek said. “But then it flared and got really big, I guess that’s what some people might describe as a fireball.”
What appeared to be a vapor trail remained visible for about 10 minutes until they arrived home near Zabcikville, he said.
The National Weather Service, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration all sent out warnings last week to pilots and others that reported explosions and resulting vibrations are actually sonic booms caused by the pieces of falling satellite debris.
A similar incident occurred Friday night around Jackson, Ky., with police inundated with calls about explosions, flashes of light and even earthquakes that officials said also appeared to be falling debris from the two satellites.
Officials from New Mexico to Houston reported calls about the falling debris Sunday morning.
The debris made many think of the break up of the Space Shuttle Columbia above Texas on Feb. 1, 2003, officials said. The shuttle debris field stretched from Across Texas to Louisiana.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Original post from 2:52 p.m.
McLennan County residents who have reported hearing “explosions” today are likely instead hearing the fall of space debris, chief deputy Randy Plemons said.
Although the sheriff’s office has not found any of the debris, the FAA has said it is likely pieces of two satellites - one American, one Russian - that collided on Tuesday, Plemons said.
The American satellite was an Iridium, one of a constellation of 66 spacecraft. Liz DeCastro, corporate communications director of Iridium Satellite, based in Bethesda, Md., told the New York Times that the satellite weighed about 1,200 pounds and that its body was more than 12 feet long, not including large solar arrays. The Russian communications satellite was presumed nonfunctional.
Plemons said law enforcement agencies began getting calls from West residents, then people from Leroy, Axtell, Mart and Riesel. A deputy who works in that part of the county has not reported finding any such debris, he said.
Plemons said the sheriff’s office chief pilot Stu Royle flew the county’s helicopter searching for debris about two hours after reports started coming into the sheriff’s office.
He didn’t find anything while flying a path from West, Leroy, Axtell, Riesel and Mart, Plemons said.
If anyone finds what they think is satellite debris, Plemons asks that they don’t touch it and contact the sheriff’s office, which will send someone to secure it until the proper authorities can be notified.
If you’ve seen some debris, please call Trib reporter Tommy Witherspoon at 757-5737. And keep an eye on wacotrib.com for updates.
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By Penelope
February 15, 2009 1:25 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
We heard it loud and clear in Penelope. It shook our house and windows. I hope no one was hit by the debis.
By Brian Vanicek
February 15, 2009 1:40 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
My son and I saw a fireball (asteroid/satellite debris/?) at 10:58 a.m. this morning while travelling NW on FM 485 on the Bell/Milam County line in Central Texas.
The object streaked from the NE in a NNE trajectory, flared and was gone. What appeared to be a short vapor trail became immediately visible. A puffy remant of the trail remained faintly visible ten minutes later when we arrived home midway between Seaton and Zabcikville on State Highway 53.
By Lynda
February 15, 2009 2:21 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
We live in Hallsburg and the noise shook the whole house,literally. It sounded like it was very close. When checking outside there was only a small smoke cloud in a sea of blue sky. People were saying it was from the new power plant in Riesel, but there were too many police cars circling the area for that. Still waiting for debris.
By John
February 15, 2009 3:51 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
Stuff is falling out of the sky and someone takes up a helicopter to see what it is? If you thought stuff was falling couldn’t it hit the helicopter and cause a problem?
By KDF
February 15, 2009 5:17 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
My thought, however comical it can be, is if things are falling out of the sky, why do you put something in the sky to see it??? <><
By whs806
February 15, 2009 7:35 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
I think it was a piece of the national debt that hit the earth. Don’t worry, it will create jobs!
By Steve
February 15, 2009 8:38 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
My wife and I heard something that we thought was thunder this morning around 10:45 or so. It rummbled for several seconds which we thought was a little strange. It’s incredible that no one was hurt. thanks for clearing this up.
By BRIDGETTE
February 15, 2009 9:58 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
I LIVE IN NORTH WACO, AND I HEARD THIS! NOT KEEPING UP WITH THE NEWS I MISSED OUT ON THIS MISHAP, INFORMATION AND WAS WONDERING WHAT WAS UP. I THOUGHT… THIS DON’T SOUND RIGHT! IT HAS TO BE AN AIRPLANE OR JET BUT IT DON’T SOUND RIGHT, ENOUGH SO IT MADE ME GO OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT IN THE HECK WAS UP? I HAVE TO ADMIT I GAVE UP EASILY ONCE THE NOISE SORTA SEEM SAFE AND NOTHING WAS HAPPENING. I COULD NOT SEE THROUGH MY TREES IN MY BACKYARD WHICH IS WHERE THE NOISE WAS COMMING FROM, BUT I HEARD THE LOUD NOISE AND IT LASTED AWHILE! IN MY MIND I WAS WAITING FOR ANOTHER PLANE TO CRASH, I LIVE NEXT TO WACO AIRPORT. ANYWAYS I HEARD IT IN WACO AND IT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION!
By Jason
February 16, 2009 2:09 PM | Link to this | Report comment abuse
31.65 N 97.01 W
1.6 miles NE of Hwy 31/84 split
Loud explosion followed by rumbling for a least 5-6 more seconds.
Puffy cylindrical smoke cloud due north from above position in sky with a spiral like tail headed down like secondary debris falling from a primary object.
From the orientation of the cloud the primary object appeared to be traveling in a slightly north west to south east direction.