# What could this debris from the sky be? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 1, 2012, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656 "2012-12-01T07:22:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/1 "2012-12-01T07:22:07Z")
In one part of Pakistan a couple of days ago [they had high tech debris falling from the sky.](http://tribune.com.pk/story/473092/skyfall-high-tech-debris-rains-on-dadu/). It was several hundered pounds of equipment. Now after a mysterious silence, the Army is claiming that it was part of a missile moto [which separated during a test flight.](http://tribune.com.pk/story/473227/mysterious-dadu-debris-was-part-of-hatf-v-missile/). Any idea what that is? The picture shows a piece of metal bearing the legend “Eight Control Computer”. ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/2 "2012-12-01T07:30:39Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Any idea what that is? The picture shows a piece of metal bearing the legend “Eight Control Computer”. I’m guessing it says “Flight Control Computer”… and so it would be bits of a missile test that failed, as the article says. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/3 "2012-12-01T08:10:21Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > I’m guessing it says “Flight Control Computer”… and so it would be bits of a missile test that failed, as the article says. Firstly, the army does not have failures, they have; “events” or "issues;). Secondly the article is speculating and finally what set my bullshit meter up is that [this place](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadu,_Pakistan)is far away from [known missile](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilla_Satellite_Launch_Center) [testing ranges](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonmiani_(space_facility)). BTW look at the legend carefully. To my eye it does not say “flight” at all, there is no “L” and has what looks like the lower portion of an “E”. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/4 "2012-12-01T10:58:57Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > BTW look at the legend carefully. To my eye it does not say “flight” at all, there is no “L” and has what looks like the lower portion of an “E”. The L has a scratch that makes it look a little like a E. And you can see the tip of the bottom of the F just barely poking from behind the tube. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/5 "2012-12-01T11:55:41Z")
It looks quite old and primitive to me, the connectors are overbuilt for a one-off missile where weight would be a serious penalty. Wouldn’t surprise me if this was scrap from a scrapped or downed aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/6 "2012-12-01T12:03:09Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Firstly, the army does not have failures, they have; “events” or "issues;). Secondly the article is speculating and finally what set my bullshit meter up is that [this place](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dadu,_Pakistan)is far away from [known missile](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilla_Satellite_Launch_Center) [testing ranges](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonmiani_(space_facility)). > > BTW look at the legend carefully. To my eye it does not say “flight” at all, there is no “L” and has what looks like the lower portion of an “E”. Your bullshit meter appears to be broken. The first article may be speculating, but the second quotes a statement from the military. The legend is quite obviously “Flight computer” as Dr. Strangelove points out (who else will you trust regarding missiles). The Hatf V has a range of 1300 km and was fired from an undisclosed location during field exercises, so the distance from missile testing ranges is irrelevant. [http://www.army-technology.com/news/newspakistani-army-test-launches-hatf-v-ballistic-missile](http://www.army-technology.com/news/newspakistani-army-test-launches-hatf-v-ballistic-missile) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/7 "2012-12-01T13:40:34Z")
The spherical objects in the second photo look like [hydrazine tanks](https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=hydrazine+tank&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=lwT&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=kAi6UO6tDozL0AW784DYCA&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAA&biw=1024&bih=470) ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/8 "2012-12-01T13:46:36Z")
> [@naita](#): > > The legend is quite obviously “Flight computer” as Dr. Strangelove points out Actually, I’m fairly sure it says “\*Light \*Control” with no F. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/9 "2012-12-01T13:55:19Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Actually, I’m fairly sure it says “\*Light \*Control” with no F. Can’t tell if serious. The F (which is almost certainly there) is obscured by another object. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-could-this-debris-from-the-sky-be/642656/10 "2012-12-01T14:00:24Z")
[![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_32hrlI11ixI/TUh_dbnFrRI/AAAAAAAAAkE/LUCBwrP_zoY/s1600/helf.jpg) ](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_32hrlI11ixI/TUh_dbnFrRI/AAAAAAAAAkE/LUCBwrP_zoY/s1600/helf.jpg)