[meteorite-list] Just Another Question Esoterica

From: Mr EMan <mstreman53_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 19:04:28 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <338380.30770.qm_at_web55215.mail.re4.yahoo.com>

All this escape velocity discussion jogged my memory about an urban myth regarding the first man made object launched into space. Didn't take an astronaut or a formal space program...

According to one version, one of the underground American atomic test (Operation Plumbbob 1957?) had a "manhole cover" covering the top of the 500 ft deep emplacement tunnel shaft under ground zero.

High speed cameras caught the launch..
The shot director Brownlee is reported to have confirmed tis years later but given the secrecy of the time we may never fully know. Much of the details around myth seem to be inaccurate. You be the judge.

If true, the plug/cover was also possibly the first man made object to leave the solar system, as well
Elton

Links here:
<http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread4434/pg>
<http://nasafan.blogspot.com/2006/04/first-manmade-object-in-space.html>
<http://www.boingboing.net/2006/01/02/did-a-half-ton-steel.html>


Excerpt: The legend states that the first manmade object in space was a manhole cover launched by accident in 1957. While this certainly can't be true, the story that lead to this story is. In the 1950s, America was still conducting open air nuclear tests. In one test, they placed an atomic bomb at the bottom of a 500 foot shaft. For their next test the scientists wanted to know how the fireball would react to being partially contained. So they set up an identical test except they covered the hole with a 4 inch thck, 500 pound steel plate. They knew that it would be blown off, but they didn't know how far and didn't really care. The day for the test arrived, and the bomb was detonated, and everything went according to plan except for one thing... The steel plate was captured by high speed cameras leaving the area at 5 times the speed necessary to escape the Earth's gravitational field: about 100,000 miles per hour. 100,000 miles per hour!!? That's enough
 to escape the entire solar system! The cover was never found, and people started to wonder if it could have actually made it into space. Unfortunately for our story, there is no way that the manhole cover could survive the remarkable atmospheric pressures it would have encountered while moving at those speeds. Much like a meteor moving at cosmic speeds, it simply would have vaporized.

Oh well, it was still a pretty crazy story.
Received on Sat 31 May 2008 10:04:28 PM PDT


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