From: | NewsProfiles@aol.net |
Title: | MYSTERY OBJECT SHINING IN SOUTH AFRICAN SKIES HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED |
Source: | Reuter |
Date: | March 14, 1996 |
in South African skies has been identified as a high-technology
cable lost in space on a failed U.S. space shuttle experiment.
Astronomer John Caldwell of the South African Astronomical
Observatory said Tuesday a bright straight line seen in the sky
last week was sunlight glinting off the copper, nylon and teflon
cable that broke during a U.S.-Italian mission on space shuttle
Columbia.
An Italian satellite is on the other end of the wire which
snapped off from Columbia on Feb. 25 after unreeling about 12
miles, nearly its full length.
NASA said earlier this month the satellite was expected to
orbit Earth for about 20 days until it fell and was burned up in
the atmosphere. The space agency said at the time that it may be
visible from various parts of the world, including South Africa.
Caldwell told Reuters the tether had been seen shining as a
striking bright line just before dawn and after sunset for about
a week.
``Visibility is no longer likely, as it is sinking into the
atmosphere's thicker layers,'' he said.
The experiment was to have investigated how electricity
could be generated by dragging an electrical conductor through
Earth's magnetic fields.