R.A.I.S.D

Raising Awareness Interests of Space Debris

Hi! My name is John Hall, I launched RAISD a few months after the PA 103 Lockerbie disaster, when during a time close to this tragic event; I witnessed a spectacular display of space debris returning to Earth in the night sky over Lincolnshire. This big speeding ball of brilliant white, similar to a ‘Snow Storm’ firework, left a smoke trail of ‘snowy’ white phosphorus puffs in the clear black sky. The smoke trail was very similar to the trail four ‘Red Arrow aircraft’ would leave when flying in a closely compact formation. I would estimate the whole sighting from start to finish lasted approximately seven seconds and one thing that did surprise me was that there was no sound at all, just silence. I had no idea at the time what I had witnessed, but after making many telephone calls to various people, I was informed by a newspaper reporter there had been many calls to his news desk similar to mine and “if I cared to telephone him later he would make enquiries and let me know”. Later, when I did telephone him, he told me that a ‘Rogue’ Russian Satellite had broken up and returned to Earth over the British Isles.

There have also been quite a few reports of similar sighting by people over the last twenty years and maybe you have also seen something yourself?

Click this video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_2aX-784sw to see a recent sighting taken by a policeman in Canada, which gives a very good example and is very similar to my own sighting.

Following my observation, I soon began to ponder upon a few questions. How much space debris there is above our heads? Also, what quantity returns to Earth managing to survive so-called burn up in our Earths atmosphere and impact our planet? (Click On Address For ESA Info)

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMHDJXJD1E_FeatureWeek_0.html

Considering the speed and size of my particular sighting, it doesn’t really need much stretch of the imagination to wonder what damage it would cause if it was to impact some point at random, plus the fact that due to its extremely high temperature, could it also cause other problems such as fires for example?

One very important thing we must bear in mind when reporting space debris to anyone, is to emphasize strongly that you are not discussing ‘Flying Saucers’ or ‘Aliens’ from from another planet, but rather something that is explainable and in a lot of cases refers to ‘Space Junk’ as the Americans term it. Plainly and simply it just refers to litter, not the litter that we have thrown out of our car window to spoil the grass verges, but rather litter we humans have left out there in orbit during and following our many space missions. The mention of ‘Martians’ and ‘Little Green Men’ is a shameful tactic used by some people following reports of any sightings and is used sometimes during interviews with the media, in their attempts to both deter and belittle the observer, plus at the same time, divert the minds of their audience from being able to do a bit of lateral thinking on their own initiative. It goes without saying that it’s a topic very easy to joke about and make fun of, but at the end of the day it’s far from funny and is possibly the most serious hazard to mankind ever faced.

Briefly and simply, most space debris fits into two categories; these are the Unnatural and Natural kinds. Unnatural refers to the man made debris, such as whole or parts of satellites or any other defunct man made items just a sixty minute car drive upwards above our heads. The natural kind of space debris usually refers to any material from way out in space, such as comet particles or any other unknown items that travels through space and if we are directly in its path will sometimes impact our unfortunate planet. One only has to look at the surface of the Moon to see the craters resulting from natural space debris impacts, to realise how vulnerable we are.

Of course I will concede there are occasions when space debris will impact our planet leaving no effects whatsoever, but over the last twenty years I have taken a keen interest in many events around the world and I am convinced that space debris has impacted our planet far more times than both the scientists and authorities care to disclose. Claims that most space debris lands in the sea or burns up are long out of date in my opinion and for quite a few reasons and I believe this is why the topic of possible ‘Space Debris Impacts’ are treated as a bit of a taboo subject.

"If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original."

Sir Ken Robinson

"Space Debris Could Cause A Third World War"

Sir Bernard Lovell 28-11-1989