Sightings1997

Delta II stage reenters; Tulsa woman brushed by debris

When: 22 Jan 1997
Where: Tulsa, OK
Sources: 3 public sources

A Delta II rocket; a Delta II second stage reentered over Texas and Oklahoma in January 1997 NASA/Regina Mitchell-Ryall & Jerry Cannon, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

A spent Delta II second stage reentered over Texas and Oklahoma before dawn on January 22, 1997, and parts survived to the ground in Texas. In Tulsa, Lottie Williams saw a bright streak and was then lightly hit by a small fragment that NASA linked to the rocket.

Sources

OfficialOrbital Debris Quarterly News, Vol. 6, Issue 2 (refers to the January 1997 Delta 2 second stage reentry over Texas) (opens in a new tab)NASA Orbital Debris Program Office / 2001-04
PressSpace Junk Survivor (opens in a new tab)ABC News / 2001-03-21
OtherFirst person hit by space junk (opens in a new tab)Guinness World Records

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