USAF NEWS RELEASE

Date: May 6, 1997

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At 19:54:26 UT on Dec. 9, 1995, sensors aboard U.S. Department of
Defense satellites recorded a bright atmospheric flash. Although
precise location of the flash has not yet been determined, time of the
flash and general location is consistent with eyewitness reports of a
bright explosive flash in the Cuernca, Ecuador, area at 14:51 local time
(19:51 UT) on that day. Those observations consisted of a bright
fireball streaking across the sky from north to south, ending in a
bright flash and loud explosive noise. Three commercial seismic stations
in the area also recorded strong signals at that time.

Assuming a 6000K blackbody radiating spectrum, estimates of the peak
radiated power and total radiated energy of the flash are 5.4 x 10^10 watts

per steradian (visible magnitude -20.8) and 1.1 x10^11 joules,
respectively.


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