Post by Mon-Jas Charan on Jan 4, 2007 17:10:34 GMT -5
NORAD: 'Meteor' really a rocket
DENVER -- SkyFox captured incredible video of a Russian rocket body bursting into flames as it crashed to earth over North America.
NORAD has confirmed that the light show was caused by the re-entry of a spent Russian science rocket or "space junk" in layman's terms.
SkyFOX pilot Rob Marshall and photojournalist Josh White captured the event at about 6:15 a.m. Mountain Standard Time while they were flying over Denver.
Click on the thumbnail at the right to watch this spectacular video.
Descriptions range from an "unreal bright light" to a "spectacular fireworks display."
Those are just a few of the comments from people who witnessed a light show in the skies over Colorado early Thursday, a light show that the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Northern Command -- better known as NORAD and NORTHCOM says was a Russian Rocket.
Experts at the Air Force Space Command, headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs, say it was a Russian SL-4 rocket body that re-entered the atmosphere over Colorado and Wyoming.
The rocket was used to carry a French astronomy satellite called COROT into space on December 27, 2006.
NORAD has a report that a piece of the rocket landed in Riverton, Wyoming near Highway 28 at about 6:13 a.m. Thursday.
No damage has been reported and the debris is not believed to be hazardous.
Calls started pouring in to law enforcement authorities and FOX 31 News around 6:15 a-m, as thousands of people witnessed streaks of light racing across the sky from north to south.
Residents of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming reported seeing the light.
A FOX 31 viewer in New Mexico reported that by the end of the video, when only 3 or 4 lights remained, the object was passing directly over Kirtland, New Mexico (Four Corners).
DENVER -- SkyFox captured incredible video of a Russian rocket body bursting into flames as it crashed to earth over North America.
NORAD has confirmed that the light show was caused by the re-entry of a spent Russian science rocket or "space junk" in layman's terms.
SkyFOX pilot Rob Marshall and photojournalist Josh White captured the event at about 6:15 a.m. Mountain Standard Time while they were flying over Denver.
Click on the thumbnail at the right to watch this spectacular video.
Descriptions range from an "unreal bright light" to a "spectacular fireworks display."
Those are just a few of the comments from people who witnessed a light show in the skies over Colorado early Thursday, a light show that the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the United States Northern Command -- better known as NORAD and NORTHCOM says was a Russian Rocket.
Experts at the Air Force Space Command, headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs, say it was a Russian SL-4 rocket body that re-entered the atmosphere over Colorado and Wyoming.
The rocket was used to carry a French astronomy satellite called COROT into space on December 27, 2006.
NORAD has a report that a piece of the rocket landed in Riverton, Wyoming near Highway 28 at about 6:13 a.m. Thursday.
No damage has been reported and the debris is not believed to be hazardous.
Calls started pouring in to law enforcement authorities and FOX 31 News around 6:15 a-m, as thousands of people witnessed streaks of light racing across the sky from north to south.
Residents of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and Wyoming reported seeing the light.
A FOX 31 viewer in New Mexico reported that by the end of the video, when only 3 or 4 lights remained, the object was passing directly over Kirtland, New Mexico (Four Corners).
