2/23/13 - Space Debris, Disappearing Sand & More

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.



Jupiter Inlet Beach



John L. alerted me to the fact that half of the sand that was dumped on Jupiter Inlet beach not too long ago is almost half gone already.

As John pointed out this huge loss of sand as occurred with very calm seas.  If the seas had been rough at all, it would all be gone by now.

I had meant to point out that almost the same thing has occurred at Fort Pierce Inlet.  Much of the sand from the most recent renourishment project is gone there too.  It lasted longer than that at Jupiter though.

Although this is a colossal waste of tax payer dollars, when there are funds available for these projects the local governments feel they have to bring their share back into their community.  We just keep sending the money to Washington and then try to get some of it back.  The Federal debt seems very much like this sand that keeps getting dumped into the sea - a huge waste, but everyone wants to get their share.


John L. had found some pieces of titanium on a Palm Beach beach.  It isn't unusual to find those melted bits of titanium on the beach.

I've been talking about the research that comes after the find.  John was curious about the source of the titanium that he found and contacted NASA to find out if the source of the titanium he found could be determined.  Here is what NASA told him.

Please accept our apologies for this reply taking so long to get to you.  We’ve been attempting to locate someone who would have an answer to your question.  Unfortunately, there is no way to validate where the nuggets came from.  We appreciate you taking the time to write us about your interesting find.

You are encouraged to frequently visit http://www.nasa.gov  for the latest NASA news and information.  In addition, NASA invites you to consider using one or more of the following easy and convenient communications tools for receiving NASA Updates on the exciting work NASA is doing.

                                        

• For more information on NASA and Kennedy Space Center please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page at http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/information/faq.html

• Subscribe to E-mail Delivery – Simply go to www.nasa.gov, enter your e-mail address, set your delivery preferences, and choose your area(s) of interest.

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If you've been reading this blog very long you know that I have talked about the melted bits of titanium that are  found on our beaches.  I've commented that they might be from an exploded space shuttle, but it seems that even NASA can't say exactly where some of those pieces might have come from.  I suppose there could be multiple sources.  I can think of at least a couple of reasons they might not say even if they knew, but don't read too much into that.  I'm not suggesting some big conspiracy.

If the titanium came from a NASA vehicle, it would be considered US government property - not that they would have any interest in most of the small melted pieces that are usually found by detectorists.

There were times when NASA asked people to report and turn in pieces of exploded vehicles so they could gather any evidence that might help them determine what went wrong.  You might remember that in 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded and set off one of the largest search and recovery efforts ever, yet for many years after that parts of the Challenger washed up on Florida beaches.  In 1996, for example, two large pieces washed up on the beach near Cocoa.  If you want to read more about that, here is a link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Challenger_disaster

At one time in this blog I posted a few tests for identifying titanium.  If interested, you can do a keyword search of this blog for "titanium."  There is a search box on the main page.

Thanks for sending NASA's response John.   Those NASA links could come in handy.

Ancient copper plates and gold coins were discovered in India.

http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/ancient-copper-plates-gold-coins-found-in-karnataka-temple/article4436284.ece


Storms unearthed a 200 year old skeleton.

http://www.weather.com/news/storms-reveal-skeleton-20130117

Thanks to Rink Rat for that link.


Through the weekend on the Treasure Coast, the surf will be down around two feet.  Next Tuesday it will increase a bit, then reach a peak of 3 - 5 feet on Thursday.  That is the prediction, so don't expect much  other than maybe a little stirring next week.

Tomorrow the low tide will be around 12:30.

Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net