Saint Kitts Deployment Report.
Abstract
Between 0000 and 0330, 28 June 1986, residents of Basseterre, St. Kitts, Lesser Antilles, reported an object fell from the sky. Later a smoking hole was discovered in a nearby yard, prompting officials to request US assistance to investigate. Of prime concern was potential environmental or radiological safety, St. Kitts possessed no instrumentation or trained personnel to study the incident. Upon US Embassy notification, 2 July 1986, Eastern Space and Missile Center dispatched the down range safety officer and simultaneously requested AFTAC assistance. The AFTAC team found a nearly vertical, 1.5m deep hole which showed evidence of burnt material within. The cause for the hole was not immediately apparent. The team took radiation measurements and determined the hole and its contents posed no radiological health hazard. The team also collected a large number of rock and soil samples for later analysis. The team reviewed all available data and determined that the hole had three possible causes: (1) meteorite, (2) a man-made reentering space object, or (3) a hoax or act perpetrated by persons unknown. The rock samples were further analyzed by the Aerospace Corp. and W.C. McCrone Associates. No unusual, non-island origin, material was identified from either sample analysis. The soil samples were analyzed by NASA's Johnson Space Center, with similiar findings. This report concludes that the mystery hole was the result of a hoax. Keywords: Hypervelocity impact.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 20, 1987
- Accession Number
- ADA186216
Entities
People
- Joseph P. Nicholas
Organizations
- Air Force Technical Applications Center