>Date: Sat, 23 Dec 95 17:00:04 EST >From: Ben Huset <benhuset@skypoint.com> >To: Multiple recipients of list <fpspace@solar.rtd.utk.edu> >Subject: Mirwatch Jan '96 >MIRWATCH >January 1996 >News and Comments by Ben Huset >Lost and Found: Geoffrey E. Perry, who heads the Kettering Space Observer >Group, has found a $17-million German/Russian spacecraft. "Express" was >given up for lost into the Pacific ocean, after its Japanese booster >malfunctioned on Jan. 15, 1995. Unknown to launch officials, it came >floating down, 2.5 orbits later, safely on its parachute near a partially >inhabited area of Ghana, West Africa. >Ghanians heard a sonic boom, looked up and saw this large bell shaped, >smoking object, the size of a car, slowly descending on an orange >parachute. The Ghanians saw the spacecraft land -- and found Russian >Cyrillic writing on its parachute. They had no idea it was a German project >launched from Japan. The vehicle generated an article or two in the local >newspaper. But there was no significant action on the vehicle, until >research by Perry helped to locate the spacecraft for Daimler-Benz Aerospace. >Ben J Huset >MN SFS | MAS >FAX 612-638-9964 >BENHUSET@SKYPOINT.COM >www.skypoint.com/~benhuset/