"San Roque" Event - Delta II 7925 PAM-D Star 48B Motor's Casing reentry

Research by Kadosh - e.mail

Impact location: Paraje "Rosado Grande", San Roque county, Corrientes province, Argentina republic [Pop: 18.000, Mayor: Orlando Raul Pelozo, Tel: 54-3777-478037, 54-3777-478038]

Aprox. impact location coordinates: 28° 36' 37" S - 58° 34' 49" W

Impact time: 20.01.2004 11:40UTC / 12:40 UTC / 13:30 UTC [sources differ]

Recovered debris first description according to media and sources (see pics): Metal casing; circumference: 3,6mt; length: 1,6mt.; width: 1,4mt; weight: 40-50kgs; marks (could be Boeing's serial numbers): 1060370-501 (F) - "In I"; yellowish leak trails (HTPB propellant; not confirmed at all); It is not deformed; have several damage on one side (openings); there is a 70-cm wide opening on one polar side (see below for more info on this matter).

About the description: Because of the incident's remoteness and uniqueness, many different news version showed up about same issues. First one thought that "Made in Italy" was written on one side, but later the media said It was "IN I" what appeared, besides another letters. According to my sources there was no Italian sub-contractor working on the Delta-II program. Also, actual impact time is unknown.

Currently object location: It's been moved to Colonia Pando's sheriff office. It may be moved north to Corrientes capital city for further forensic studies. CONAE (Space Investigation National Commission) has taken full responsibility for its management and study.

Object's owner: The Government of the United States of America. Responsible manager prior to re-entry: Department of Defense, USA. Note: However early press reports talked about "communications with the US authorities on this matter since the beginning", CONAE has not received as of tonight any call or message from any American agency. There are some unnoficial news that I cannot share with you now for security reasons.

Note: Officials from the Air Force Space and Missiles System Center (SMC)'s Environmental Management (AXFV) branch in Los Angeles AFB, California got news about this incident on the afternoon of January 21th and may get in touch with CONAE officials in order to recover the debris.

--> Read full official CONAE's press release about this incident (21.01.2004 - 23:30hs UTC).

--> Aprox. impact location (click to enlarge) - Zoom 1 to 6

Kind of: Delta II 7925 PAM-D Thiokol Star 48B motor's Titanium case (see below for detailed info).

Comments: The discovered debris comprises only a 3rd stage Delta-II motor's case. This case is extremely crash-resistant, but quite light (Titanium-made). Originally, it was located inside a PAM-D (Payload Assist Module, Delta Model) which comprises Delta-II's the 3rd stage. Its mission was to orbit a new GPS Satellite in 1993. The firs two stages also contained some kind of motor with its own propellant each. Each one was to work on a different moment of the rocket's journey up into earth's orbit . This last module gives the satellite load its final thrust and some semi-fine positioning maneuvers in order to release the new satellite on its due orbit. The PAM-D then finished its mission (with no more fuel) and kept revolving around the earth for 11 years since 1993, under what we generally refer to as "space junk". Slowly it began an uncontrolled descent through many orbits, gaining speed as it was pulled in by the earth's gravitational force describing a trajectory over the Pacific ocean while it was vanishing itself in many small parts, but one of them (maybe the biggest) made its way across Argentina's to finally crash in San Roque. The Star 48B motor (see below) that was inside this case was consumed along with the propellant, leaving only ashes.

--> Comparison picture (click to enlarge): Same case, recovered from Saudi Arabia on January 21st. Weight: 70kg. It also had the same kind of number set written on its surface, which turned out to be a Boeing serial-part number (located near the nozzle exit where the two men are kneeled. It showed similar damage on its surface as well it was well maintained after the impact, possible due to its Titanium composition.

Kind: DELTA-II MLV (Medium Launch Vehicle), 3 stage, large nozzle.

Number: 7925

NORAD Code: 22877

Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Corp. at Huntington Beach, CA. and Boeing Corp. at Canoga Park, CO.
Serial number: 223

Fairing: 9.5 feet
Mass: 1882 T

Max load: 1869T
Gross weight at liftoff: 230,88T
Gross prop weight at liftoff: 194,73T
Total length: 39,38mt
Max diameter: 4,60mt

 

About this model:

Operational between 26.11.1990 and 10.06.2003.

50 Orbital flights.
 

Launch date: 26.10.1993 - 17:04 UTC; LC 17B stations, US Air Force Cape Canaveral base, FL, USA

Satellite into orbit: 28.10.1993

NAVSTAR-34 SATELLITE:
Satellite: GPS Navstar 34 - Block IIA-23, PRN-04

Manufacturer: Rockwell Space Systems (now a Boeing-owned company)

Client: US Department of Defense (DOD)

NORAD Name: NAVSTAR 35 R/B (PAM-D)
NORAD Code: 22879
Intl' designation: 1993 068C

Set usable: 22.11.1993

Mass: 1665kg
Design life: +7.5 years
Mission orbit: MEO / 20.200 km (10, 900 nmi)

Orbital slot: D4

 

Atomic clock currently in use: 2 Rubidium's (Rb)

Capability: SA (Selective Availabity) and A-S (Anti-spoof), Nuclear detonation detection sensor.

Navigation signals: Two L-Band (1575.42 MHz (L1) and 1227.60 MHz (L2))

 

Status: ACTIVE [Scheduled unusable 21 Jan 1900 UT to 22 Jan 0700 UT for
repositioning maintenance]

STAGES 1 & 2: Do not explained because they are not directly related to this incident (have other reentry moments)

Model: Star 48B

Manufacturer: Thiokol

 

Length: 2,03mt
Diameter: 2,44mt
Mass: 2144kg
Empty mass: 114kg

--> 3rd Stage PAM-D pics: (click to enlarge)

This is the same PAM-D that reentered the atmosphere and broke up in many parts, being the motor case (the largest one, see right column) the one that made it trough San Roque.

Model: TE-M-711-18 [Code] - Star 48B
Manufacturer: Thiokol

Diameter: 1,245mt
Length: 2,032mt
Mass: 2.140,5 Kg.

Propellant weight: 2011kg

Chambers: 1

Burning time: 84,5s

Case (cover of propellant tank): Titanium alloy Ti-6A1-4V (Titanium-6Aluminium-4Vanadium).

 

Propellant: Solid TP-H-3340

Propellant composition:
Ammonium perchlorate (AP) - 71%
Aluminum (AL) - 18%
HTPB Binder (HTPB) - 11%

Nozzle: Semi-submerged w/ carbon-phenolic exit cone (the one that is missing and would be binded to the empty 70cm-wide opening reported)
 

About this model:

First Flight: 1982
Last Flight: 1999
Flight Times: 97

Also used on: Black Colt, Conestoga, Delta 6925, Delta IV Small.
 

ATK Thiokol Propulsion (Major US aerospace and defense contractor)
Tel: 435-863-3511, 952-351-3000. Fax: 952-351-3009
Brigham City, UT 84302-0707