Rockets, accident, law suit, rocket debris, rocket pieces, roskosmos, russia, shepherd

Shepherd Sues Russian Space Agency For Dropped Rocket Debris

Boris Urmatov, a Russian shepherd, is claiming $42,000 (that's one million roubles) from Roskosmos for dropping a 10-foot-long chunk of rocket in his yard. Apparently it just missed his outdoor toilet— we're hoping he wasn't in there at the time. The poor chap's village in the Altai region lies beneath the flight path of rockets launched from the Cosmodrome at Baikonur, so he may actually have a case. The space agency seems relaxed about it all: according to a spokesman "They fly, they fall, they fly, they fall. It's how they work."

According to the shepherd's sister, he's taking Roskosmos to court for compensation for the stress he's suffered. After all, the metal casing nearly crushed his outhouse. Roskosmos agrees that if it is a genuine case he will be paid "No question about it. We live in a civilized, law-abiding country." Hmmm.

If it is an unwanted, "normal" piece of rocket, sounds like Boris will be rich. The Roskosmos spokesman does hedge his bets a bit, though, noting that sometimes "somebody gets greedy, and it turns out the parts did not fall on his land, but that they were dragged there. Those moments are not good."

If bits of rocket do actually fall off regularly and make it to the ground, then remind me never to go live near Kazakhstan. [Reuters]

12:06 PM on Wed Mar 26 2008
By Kit Eaton
2,374 views
19 comments

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frigg at 12:17 PM on 03/26/08
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The space agency seems relaxed about it all, though, according to a spokesman: "They fly, they fall, they fly, they fall. It's how they work."

How very Wernher von Braun of them.
Monty at 12:17 PM on 03/26/08
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Has he explored selling those parts back to the space agency and turning a tidy profit? I have no idea how much they are worth, but $42,000 would not buy a replacement bolt for the NASA Space Shuttle.
Darrone at 12:27 PM on 03/26/08
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@Monty: In Russia, We have no bolts, only the hands of little children clinging to rocket as make space fire.
Darrone at 12:30 PM on 03/26/08
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According to the speech bubble, you spelled Sergei wrong.... Interesting.
Sean Harrington at 12:31 PM on 03/26/08
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Good thing if he was in the outhouse at the time. I would have definitely shat myself.
Git Em SteveDave at 12:37 PM on 03/26/08
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Russia is cooler in that they're space center is the "Cosmodrome". We have Cape Canaveral. I wonder if they have a sign over the main gate as you leave saying "Beyond Cosmodrome".
Burgundy Corningstone at 12:41 PM on 03/26/08
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@Git Em SteveDave:
"Launched from the Cosmodrome" makes me want to run for the nearest fallout shelter and rewatch Red Dawn to brush up on my Commie-fighting skills.
innout3x3 at 12:42 PM on 03/26/08
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"My name a Borat. I come from Kazakhstan. My sister is #4 prostitute in all of Kazakhstan."
Geisrud at 12:43 PM on 03/26/08
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@1stage: Well then, he's in the perfect place to do so.

So he's sueing because a hunk of metal fell in the yard? Nothing happened to him, so I say case dismissed. So he got scared a little bit when it landed, big deal.

I guess it's not just the US that's litigation happy.
Kaiser-Machead at 12:49 PM on 03/26/08
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So a shepherd finds his stock pummeled by spigots and lead piping, and assumes that it's a Russian spacecraft dropping crap?

Eh, I don't blame him.
P3nnst8r at 12:55 PM on 03/26/08
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In Mother Russia, Rocket Ships You!
OldElvis at 12:56 PM on 03/26/08
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Yeah he'll get his money, but it'll be covered with Cadmium or whatever else it was that they poisoned. Enemies of the state with.
SneakerFiend at 01:03 PM on 03/26/08
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They probably don't care about it. $42grand is nothing well should be nothing to a space station or research center.
He should've listened to Sergei { smh ) lolx.
ideaman2020 at 01:16 PM on 03/26/08
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John Glenn here.

If he were in the USA, he'd definitely sue.

And the case would be immediately thrown out.

Citizens can't sue the government, after all...
SigmundTheSeaMonster at 01:25 PM on 03/26/08
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Come on Sergei, think capitalism! This is an opportunity that is falling from the sky! Tonne of debris could be worth millions! Make an tourist attraction! Take odds and place marks out for Las Vegas gamblers! (where next landing hits, how close, how heavy, bonus if it takes out a sheep or two!)
Put up some web cams! ClickThru ads! Chagghing my comrade!
Zenshai at 02:51 PM on 03/26/08
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"They fly, they fall, they fly, they fall. It's how they work."

Haha, thats classic. Sounds like something the Russian guy from Armageddon would say.
kalashnikov at 03:13 PM on 03/26/08
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a onclick="javascript:return jumpToComment(372419,'CommentBox', this.href);" href="http://gizmodo.com/372419/shepherd-sues-russian-space-agency-for-dropped-rocket-debris#c4878347">innout3x3: SPAZE PROGRAMZ FALUREZ METEL PESUZ MISIZ SHIT HAUZ. WANT COLECT CACHE NOW PLEEZ.
Git Em SteveDave at 03:36 PM on 03/26/08
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@SigmundTheSeaMonster: Chop it up and sell it on eBay. It's legitimate space junk. Some people pay $$$$ for meteorites. This is more valuable b/c you can make keychains out of it.
Bokusatsu_Tenshi at 10:00 PM on 03/26/08
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After that military drunk-driving-russian-tank-demolishes -your-house case, I think Boris will be lucky if the Russian Space Agency don't just laugh at his face and drop even more rocket droppings on his property just for fun...