VZCZCXRO1914
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #0714 1561550
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 051550Z JUN 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4440
INFO RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO 4169
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO 7824
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE 9618

UNCLAS BRASILIA 000714 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/SAT - CHRIS CANNIZZARO 
DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/BSC - DAVID SCHNIER 
USAF -DAN REICHEL, ARNOLD NOWINSKI, GLORIA CAMPOS 
NASA - KENT BRESS AND MICHAEL MOORE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR OES/SAT, L/OES 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TSPA SENV KSCA BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL: RECOVERED SPACE-OBJECT SAFELY RETURNED TO U.S. AIR 
FORCE IN THE UNITED STATES 
 
REF: (A) BRASILIA 296, (B) 2008 STATE 87179B), 
(C) 2008 STATE 87179, (D) E-MAIL D.REICHEL 
(USAF) - R.DRISCOLL MAY 28, 2009 
 
(U) THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED AND NOT FOR INTERNET 
DISTRIBUTION. 
 
¶1.  (SBU) On June 2, 2009, Post received from the U.S. Air Force 
confirmation that a piece of an Atlas rocket that had broken off and 
landed in Brazil had completed its journey and arrived safely on May 
27 at the USAF's Aerospace Materials Laboratory in El Segundo, 
California,  for scientific analysis and testing (REF D).  The 
object was a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV) and had 
come off an Atlas rocket launched in October 2007.  In March 2008, 
it fell back to earth and landed in a rural part of the State of 
Goias, Brazil.  Working in coordination with the USAF, the Post 
persuaded the Brazilian Ministry of Exterior Relations and the 
Ministry of Science and Technology to return the object.  (REFTELS 
A, B and C)  The Post recovered the object from the Brazilians on 
March 5, 2009.  After it was inspected by a team of experts from the 
USAF's Space and Missile Center, the object was then transported to 
El Segundo, California. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Officials from the USAF's Space and Missile Center 
indicate that the experience in arranging for the recovery and 
return of the object should help them with executing future such 
recoveries.  Also, the USAF informed Post that it will conduct tests 
to assess reentry damage and estimate peak reentry temperatures. 
The USAF expected that "useful data should be obtained from our 
investigation." 
 
SOBEL