The red ribbons in the image are the rigging for the parachute. They allow the sphere to drift in a stable floating position and to be more visible when it lands on the ground. The ribbons are there to ensure that recovery teams (or curious land-owners) will properly identify the object when it lands, after it takes its high altitude journey.
Is It Dangerous?
No, fortunately. There is nothing dangerous about radar calibration spheres. They do not have explosives, radioactive materials, or any sort of propellant. They are solid spheres and are engineered to reflect radar signals. Even though there is nothing dangerous about radar calibration spheres, it is still a good practice to inform local authorities or an aerospace agency when you find a sphere. They may want it back to be utilized in another location. Or at a minimum to confirm that it did not impact any active communications they may have.
It might also be of interest to note that several of these spheres. May also be owned by agencies such as NASA, military., or weather monitoring. So when it looks like you have found a big metallic bowling ball, remember it may be, but it may also be used for serious testing and data collection.
A Look at Today’s Technology
Finding a radar calibration sphere in your pasture is an unusual event, but an interesting reflection of radar science/aerospace testing. These spheres are quietly enabling storm monitoring, safely facilitating airplanes in our skies, and providing important information on deep space missions.
For most of us, they are simply an interesting metal ball associated with parachutes. However, under the practical plastic exterior lies a fascinating, story of precision engineering, complexities and innovations, and a reminder that no matter how ‘out there’ or rural we claim to be, we are never far from modern science.
