3. 0 1\TETIMI! CROUit PROJECT 10073 RECORD CARD 2. LOCATION ~ TYPE OF OBSERVATION .:"D<Graund Visual tl Air-Visual 0 Ground-Radar D Air-Intercept Radar CONCLUSIONS 0 Was Balloon 0 ProbaMy Balloon Possibly Balloon 0 Was Aircraft Pro bob I y Ai rcroh D Possibly Al rcroft 0 Was Astronomi col 0 Probably Astronomical 0 Possibly Asti"J)rtOf"icol 7. LENGTH o:-.OIS!~VATIDN I. NUMBER OP OBJECTS 9. COURSE O~XOther a r-t: ~,~i.e 5 '"1l n!Q t :~o.r 0 Insufficient Data far Evaluation TO. BRI!fl SUM~ARY Oft SIGHTING 11. COMMENTS .A ~:1:oup of civilians had sot u p a c ~mo1a to v icw and photog.i.n.p h e :'{poe t e ..1 Hu:;sia n satellite. Satelltte wa:s not s.Lghtccl, hut a b r ight objcr.t r1pponrcd over SE horizon und traveled r ;tpidly :-tcro3!;:; the.) sky dis appearing over the l.H~:~t horizon" The o b j ect \'/:15 b .... tg-ht(Jr than any st~r, but less bright tl!~n Venus. The l ht (~xhibit~d a yellow- i s h htt n gi~i!,~ tl1~ irn~ressl~n of ATIC PORW 329 (REV 26 S!::P Sl) Around thi s t imo a~tificial mctco:s t!1ey glowed bri~htJ y orouJh to ba pho togL"'!l!;hcd .. !STDU TE 0, Ht:.l OHr A lilmle calculation will yield the ?dnif"tUUI height or an ob.1eet ov1tr our tlOS to retleet. eunli,ht at. 1827. Loeal sumet oceurred at 1749. ' tirst ot the earth at the eQ-~ tor ia .not ox _1\ latit.l'cte ~ t.hia beeoll.fJS t The .,.ed. ot rotaUon tlt the earth at our latitude i.s: Jo_ ... ,h., ''tl7-eirht Jldnutes attar 8\DUet, the ear+..h has trav8led . UiAncl A J D u a riJht tM..mcla, ~ angl ~ i.lt Ve ~ ,.,. oalaulaw the lopotenu .1 C of trUngla ,\ 3 Ca I1Doe line A D S.. bCX)O 111, l tne C D ia )9.3 lli. This 1a the lr1n1acua he:'~ .d on an object dir.ct~ oy~ o~ locati;on ar.d r.-stlect.i.n the wn' 1 r.,.i thirt7z.ei~\ ndnute. a!ter BUNet. Tr.is i1. a een ..wl.l lhl ai.Jiplit~caU.on ot the actual cas. It the d1t!rac~ion or t..~ ~' late (&t. l7S2) .t.Nm tM , cHtnc c D 1.t r&dt:ced. to a'bolt thL-ty-ti ml. Eowewr, the O~$Ct, to ot cut.loeation vhen ae1m at 1827, there! ore the ldni.aa hcdght tor tG &5-w a. l'O'JcA .. u.te or the h.ej ghta 2101 CO'f9TI"rUTIO N AVENUE WA&HINO ro~ 2!1. D C CAOLtt ADOI'~= NAH!CO WA!.IHINOTON, D . C:. NATiONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES NA'TIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNITED STATES NATIONAL CO!vlMITIEE INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL YEAR 1057-58 an.i t:a -'l7t~ Zjn<1a"r.l:!..l~ copiuli ci. t.:~d.a J.:.5J c~;.ti;ing 0~ aa u:li~entiii.ad .:~jcc:: "t.a~ a~3cc1.a\:ed ':Ji "l 3pt:.. .lt; !. -~k;,P!V2.X; the 3nithsuL'l~ .. an .\:;t::>p:.iyaical ~-)::aerva- u.tJouJt~dl:; 1.:~ :;lad t o ~el!eive i:~1i,; i.-..l.Jl-r'l&tir.nl. Launching First Apparent Breali.through Into Space I . ~ [~-\~SCO~I AIR FORCE BASE, )fass., Nov. 23)-- : r ~;?~-An Air Force scientist said today that the sue .. l [ul launehing of artificial meteors into interplanetal'y . iOact! "undoubtedly" prepares . the way for a rocket to b1e moon. , ~.rattrtce Dubin of the Geophy 1 force on the rocket than on the s it:al Research directorate of the I pellets. .. \tr Force Cambrid~e Research The pellet experiment " s hould ~ntP.r' .. said that by usin~ a tech i also prove very useful as a tool .11que similar to that employed I for controlled experiments it1 the t o :lUrl the meteors into space, physics of the upper atmos ..>ciP.nrists " could hit the moon." pherel" Dubin said. . rr~ ~aid such a moon rocket Last night scie:1ti:;ts 3aid the wotHi travel under conditions artificial meteorite'! blasted into lar co those through which space from over the New Mexico : !'t~ artificial meteorites broke desert have "unquestionably" ' >llt of the earth's gravitational e s c aPed into interplanetary tluil areas. 1 .. .. Dubin said the 40100().mile-an- l HE SAID th~ rocket would take hour speed on the ball becu-ing .1hout 10 hours to travel the 250, sized pelleu broke through the . oun-mil& distance to the earth' 3 earth'~ gravitartonal pull and are 1 c:losest space neighbor since possibly bP.in~ drawn into the ~ ;ravity would exert a greater orbit of th~ sun. . \I:ROfli':Jo: ltO( I\~T tl"qr s werP. cau~ht bv the trark-1 in~ eameri'l3 bec~U$t! they ~lOWl'rtl due to the n~si:it:lnce of 1hl' atmospht!re and th~ hea t of lh, explnsi .... ~ char e. He c:;limt~tP.d thd atmo,:)ph:n' at thr~t ail !tnde as 1pproxir1atel . ntH o n e-h ttndre1-th0U3and:h of the air density at th~ surf 1c e )f the earth. l\Jt. Palomar Ol>i'n'e" Bl:\.'4t The bri~htnes3 Ol the explosion wa~ placPd at m inus 10 maz:1i- tude or more than 5,000 tlmei bri~hler than the Soviet satel1ite3 which at their brightes t rival the brightes t stars. . The explosion wall observed ~ t :O.tt. Palomat ab0ut fiOO mile s ?..way and even at that disf~we . astronomers said it was bri~hter than any planet or s tar. Dubin r efused t0 c ') m m e n t -wr.en asked it t!1e explcsion in thP. niQ:ht sky might ha"e tri~- . ger erl "ftumP.:uus r eporl'i of hri~hr object:; seen in lhe South .... estern . United Siale about that time . . \stronoa12rs, however. eli:;- c-ounted any connecdon. 'rrr> po!:t:eJ out that ma .. imum \ .-~.rt' J, for o\Jservin~ a neteonte u r:r it hits th e e;dh S atmosphere ; ~ The experiment , Dubin ~:lid. , I Zwicky of Lhe Call forma mst!-r i Lute of techn~lO<:!Y and w;g fi r s t I ttemDied in 1947 llStn~ G~r'n<ttl V-2 roc!<ets. \ lllrtll::, 111 u IH.:Itetrauon mw Inter planetary sprtce. TI1e initial nn- nounccment o( the pro;c~ . was ' I m~df! here rcstc:-dc1~._ Dubin !'aid th;tt nnl}' two or the ; ori~inal pellrt~ were tracked and "cicntisLc; "hetd no control of ,, wha t direction the pellets . would f1ke after the e.xpioc:ion. It ,f indicated lhal a!\ many as .\EnOnEE JtOCJ\ET pellets were used . The launching w~s explained I his way: A 11 00-pound Ae1obce . ~c.: I rocket, in 'effect rt lhr!'r-<;Jflg~ 1 rocket. en r ri cd rt nose f i p con-, , . " I t:tinin~ three " shaped. charges"! .... j of ~lurninum pellets and cxplo- f );i\cs. Thr. Aerobce automalicn Ilv !'eparalcd at lhe 3J-milc point;. and the nose tip continued 19 ' more miles upward! where il' I exploded. b1asting the alum inum priJ(If~ info ~pr~ce. :I The bIas t of lhe "sha ped rhargc'' was very bri~ht-5000 , times brighter U1an fhe So\ict! : . in! to rcrorls from ob!'CtTcr~ at .. lh~ )It. Palomar obsen a lory ; . .: so me 600 miles away. t"~' SC:JENTIS;5 ID*thilt mo.c;t of l~ the "gtapc-shot'' pellet~ pr~h;,hl.v burned JIP \\'ithin the fit st half-I f , ~; h1' 111iJe O( flight. fllll Rt ]cast t\\'0 f)( I r . ,.. . the meteorite~ definitely e.scttpcd The bright. ~lnw of thr.c;e object~:\ ~ ~.c; they brtttlrrl the forcc.c; o( .space ~ enabled .c;cientist.c; to rrcolC'l the f r erimrnt on film with a bat-It:~ lJc;fiC Crllll<'l'<l. l~ TI1e Aerohc t' ror kct. fnllnwln~ t the ".shc pcd charge'' by two nr three milrs, \\'tlS unrl<~mn-:"cl hy the explosion at the :11-milr r oi nl. ll. wr~ ~ r cf"o\cred by srirnl i.~ts ... nhout 20 mile.c; from the bl<lsling !c~l arra. . _ I Dubin se~id the rockrt contained inlact inslrum('nls which gnn' in- formation em co.c;mic rays ami Al~o meteoric du~t cxst'ing nnlntally i n the upper a tmosphere. Thr rxpcrimrnt, whid1 wnc; c:ur.g,..~tcd hy Prof. F. Z" irkr of Cnliforni" 'ln.c;lilut~ or Tech nolnJ!~' . was fitst altC'mplrd In t!)t7 usin~ forme r Gcnn<~n V-2 rockets. The Oc l. 1~ project. how-... ..,.. C\"H, was lhc first HH'CC'S~[\tJ af- lf'mpt ltncl (('Jif'l\\'('fl I' ~eric~ or r~ilurr~. ~cicnli~l!> !'rticl. SMITHSONIAN lNSTITUTION ASTRO Pt-4VSiCAL OBSER\1 ~TORY lleTION 0~ U l!" ATM08P'ME,_I STUOI~S l<H' Q,.tc.AL. SAf&L.~ITI T,_ACKIHG PAO<JRAI'o4 10 QAitOCN .T,.U;T CAM.IItiOG& JIJ. ,..AJiaACMU81:1 tS I f I c.l-