SUBJECT: UFO MYSTERY ? FILE: UFO1536 (based on the memories A.S.Zaburunov) The phenomenon that happened in the skies of Siberia on 30 June 1908 has been described ... as a man-made disabled spaceship with an exploding reactor (1). The explosion occurred over a large area with a sparse population density. Records of the event were limited to oberservations of populace who were non-technically minded and were susceptible in giving many-sided and parochial views. The result was that no clear and composite description was possible by the observers in the relatively close proximity (near field effect) of the event. Thus, the descriptions of the explosion stated in the literature must of necessity be limited to those observations. Subsequent investigations of Kulik and others (2,3,4) many years after the event led to the conclusions that the explosion was of a nuclear type. It was reported that there was not one gi- gantic explosion, but many of various intensities (5). The purpose of this note is severalfold. The first is to describe a series of fireballs I had observed when I was a youth in Russia. The second is to corroborate the time and and date of the observation of the explosion over Tunguska. The third is to present a plausible expl- anation of the explosion (consistent with the observations reported in the literature) based on scientific deductions. I was 10 years old and was working with my parents and other villagers in the wheat fields, located close to the Donetz River, 160 km west of the junction of the Don and Donetz in the former U.S.S.R. Of necessity, we worked in the fields into midnight or later to reap the wheat as quickly as possible, when ripened. Since we were harvesting the earliest of the ripened fields, the time of the year would have been the end of June. About midmight (local time), our oxen were pulling wagons loaded wheat, when suddenly a luminous and purplish column appeared at the horizon in the easterly direction. Almost immediately, a large, dark-purple, and perfectly round luminous ball appeared on the top of the column. The height was estimated to be 5 to 6 degrees above the horizon. The ball had the apparent size of 1.5 times the diameter of the moon. Then, without any perceivable motion, the ball and column disappeared after a short time. We casually took that as an unusual effect. Then, after about one minute, a second similar, but now a red ball appeared at the same height. After a short period of time, it disappeared. We now were concerned about the events. After about another minute, a third ball appeared slightly to the right - and again after a short time, it disappeared. After the third one, we were scared, but we continued to watch the horizon. Several more fireballs were observed. Each fireball was successively smaller. The last one appeared after about a two min- ute interval; it was about half the size of the moon. It was somewhat lower and and to the right of the previous balls. Curiou- sly, the last one had a small tail trailing downward. I believe that, altogether, at least five fireballs appeared at the regular time intervals. Each lasted for an estimated three second time period. After the series, there was no more activity, and we completed our work. With subsequent years, I dismissed the observations and didn't attempt to rationalize the strange event. Then in 1960, I read an article describing the Tunguska "meteor". Later I saw photographs of the fireballs of atomic bombs that were exploded in the atmosphere. The combination of the article and the photographs immediately recalled my childhood exp- erience, and I realized I was a witness to the Tunguska explosion. The corroboration of the time and day can't be precisely det- ermined. There is agreement with the following: the year, 1908; the month and day, June 30 within plus or minus one day; and the hour, 7:00 am Tunguska local time, to within 1 hour. In addition, the number balls is in general agreement with the number of explosions counted at the terminal series of explosions observed at Tunguska (5). The most diffult aspect of my observation is the viewing of the fireballs from a distance of about 4,200 km. Although observ- ation of the present day atomic blasts are limited to the line of sight viewing, looming mirages have been observed 750 km from an object source. Anomalies of the atmosphere, generated by the entry of a bolide and/or the high explosions occurring at might over the cold land mass of Siberia, could conceivably increase the looming mirage distance for the extended range. From the above arguments, even though not scientifically verified to reduce the uncertainty factors, I shall postulate that the event of my youth was a far-field observation of the Tunguska explosion. A description of the fireballs and explosions that occurred at Tunguska now has been reconstructed from the literat- ure (4,6,7,8). Initially, a brillant bolide was noticed leaving trails of red, blue, and yellow lines of ionized air as it moved toward the earth. The bolide separated into three sections. The first was a small "cloud", a core, and then a body of less dense material sweeping behind the core. After about 10 minutes of flight, a small explosion occurred at the "cloud" section. Shortly afterward, three large explosions occurred, separated by about one minute intervals. It is conjectured that this series was created by the body, and that it was the first of the two major shock waves recorded throughout the world. Then, during the next 5 minutes, about 50 to 60 small explosions occurred, separated by distinct and equal time intervals. These explosions were thought to have been created by the remnant of the main body. After two or more minutes, seven explosions occurred, separated by about one minute time intervals.It is thought that this series was created by the core, and that it caused the second of the two major shock waves also recorded throughout the world. At the explosion site in Tunguska, two distinct patterns (or areas) of fallen trees were discovered. They were about 50 km apart. It is assumed that the first one was the result of the first three explosions, and the second one (to the northwest) was the result of the last seven explosions with a reverse pattern of fallen trees. But, no craters of debris have been found at or near the explosion site. It has been determined that the shock wave, an intense heat flash, and a tremendous smoke column occurred with subsequent fallout of Cs-137 and K-39 at the site (5). Most observations indicate that the object was a bolide entering the Earth's atmos- sphere at a high velocity. It is assumed that as the bolide entered the atmosphere, it was heated to extreme temperature above 1 Million C, creating very high pressures. The abundance of hydrogen in such an environment can produce a hydrogen bomb (5). The hydrogen converts into deuterium releasing 2 or 3 neutrons, as well as energy in the form of heat, shock, and flash waves. Thus, the first explosion is believed to be of the FUSION type occurring at the "cloud" section. The subsequent explosions are characterized by a baffling time phenomenon. The time between the successive explosions appears to be periodic, rather than a random series of events. Thus, it is conjectured that as the bolide entered the atmosphere, the less dense matter was swept off the main body in a manner similar to standing wave mode. The matter, when subjected to high temperature and pressures in a neutron atmosphere (the center of mass coincident with the neutrons during the flight), could be constricted within a standing mode of increasing mass until the critical state is reached for a fission type of explosion to occur. Thus, the process would repeat itself periodically until the materialof that bolide was spent. It is believed that the series of explosions following the first small one were fission type. Again, one observes that the fallout (5) was essentially Cs-137 and K-39, both artifically produced isotopes of the alkali metal family. It also is noted that, strangely, francium, the hea- viest of the alkali metals never has been detected in meteors (9). If we assume Fr was present in the bolide at a significant concen- tration, an expected reaction of Fr is an environment of neutrons would be as follows: 87(Fr)215 + n ->87(Fr)216 ->55(Cs)137+19(K)39 +un+h(A)z+mc(squared) where n is the number of neutrons per Fr atom, un, the number of neutrons released, h(A)z, any of the traces of metals found at the site, and mc(squared), the released energy. THE AUTHOR: Akim Zaburunov has recently retired from the U.S. ARMY NIGHT VISION RESEARCH LABS, FT.Belvior, VA. Born in czarist Russia, he was educated at the Institute of Technology in Brno, Czechoslovakia, at Mass. Institute of Technology, and Univ. Mich. As a boy in Russia he was witness to a series of explosions which occurred at the same time as the the Tunguska explosions. REFERENCES: 1) Baxter J., and Atkins, T., THE FIRE CAME BY, Doubleday & Co., Garden City, NY (1976). 2) Krinov, E., TUNGUSKA METEORITE SERIES:, Akademia nauk S.S.S.R. 1949 3) Ivanovich, Vronskii Boris, Tropoy Kulika, Moskva, "Mys!" 1963 4) Zolotov, Alexey Vasilievich, Problema Tunguskoy Catastrofy 1908 Minsk, "Nauke & Technica" 1969 5) Bruckner, Marijian, Tajna, Tunguske, Katastrofalne eksplosie v Sibiria - Virovitica, 1969 6) Tunguska Meteorite-Collected works Problema Tunguskoyo Meteorite Tomsky University 1963 7) Lubich, Kandyba, Urii, V strane Ohnennago boha Ogdy-Kemerovo, Book Printing 1967 USSR 8) Vasiliev, Nikolay U., Nochnya svetiashiesa oblaka, Moskva "Nauka," 1965 9) Brown, P.L., COMETS, METEORITES, AND MEN, Taplinger Publishing Company, New York (1974) RESEARCHED BY: KEN WILLOUGHBY BOX 317 FAIRACRES, NEW MEXICO 88033-0317. ********************************************** * THE U.F.O. BBS - http://www.ufobbs.com/ufo * **********************************************