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UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
NEWS RELEASE

From:   Headquarters Air Force Technical Applications Center   
        Office of Public Affairs            
        Patrick AFB, Fl.,
        32925-3002
        (407)-494-7332

DSN 854-7332

Dated: March 10, 1995

Release #009

Note: This release supersedes release #008 dated March 9. The previous release
contained incorrect information. Please disregard the previous release.


        OPTICAL LIGHT SENSORS RECORD TWO FIREBALLS

        By SrA Amy Webb
        AFTAC Public Affairs

        Optical light sensors aboard two DOD satellites recorded the bright
flash of two seperate fireballs in the atmosphere at 03:02:04 and 13:05:47
Greenwich Mean Time on February 16 somewhere over the Pacific Ocean.
       Using a 6000K blackbody model for the flashes,
peak radiant intensities measured by the satellites were 1.5 X 10^10 and
1.0 X 10^10 W/steradian respectively. These correspond to visual magnitudes
of -19.1 and -18.4 respectively. Radiant energies of the events using the 
same models were 1.75 X 10^10 and 6.0 X 10^10 Joules respectively.
        For further information, call SrA. Amy Webb, Air Force Technical
Applications Center Public Affairs at (407) 494-7332.

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