
A Croatian fisherman caught a new NASA device while fishing - RayMan1
http://alugy.com/europe/a-croatian-fisherman-caught-a-misterious-nasas-device-while-fishing/
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ainiriand
It is a HiPAP device, used for submarine positioning:

[https://www.kongsberg.com/globalassets/maritime/km-
products/...](https://www.kongsberg.com/globalassets/maritime/km-
products/product-
documents/hipap_family_brochure_v3_lowres.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0zm2qH4wkKrqREErRzsfevpZoEsjGz2rcEWTtt4ZdruVrFVjXZhty7PbE)

~~~
jb775
High accuracy positioning for deep-sea structure placement.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvxeWCoAZPw&feature=youtu.be](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvxeWCoAZPw&feature=youtu.be)

~~~
Accujack
This plus the search pattern ("mowing the lawn") the ship is running in that
area tells me that they're surveying the region accurately with sonar. There
must be something on the bottom they want to find or build.

That's fairly near the location of Adria-1 submarine cable, so it's possible
they are looking at something related to that.

~~~
jb775
At 1:22 of the video it shows a similar pattern being used. I'm assuming that
pattern provides an inch by inch accuracy reading.

However, they could have just been testing it out in shallower waters near the
coast before venturing into 1+ mile depths. Especially considering the mystery
piece just recently arrived (according to the DHL tracking).

~~~
lr
Are you all sure that is not the pattern of the ship looking _for_ the device?

~~~
jb775
_mhandley_ mentioned in a comment that the pattern tracking map is from today.
It sounds like the device was returned prior to today, considering this
article was published today.

~~~
Accujack
The device was returned, but that pattern is the ship that likely
carried/deployed the device, not the device itself.

Per another post that box is part of a fine grained positioning system, so I'd
expect the ship deployed it then started doing whatever it was doing, and the
fisherman trawled it up in the meantime.

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mr_overalls
Stennis Space Center is also the location of a Naval Research Lab, and
specifically the Naval Oceanographic Office and Naval Meteorology and
Oceanography Command.

[https://www.usno.navy.mil/NAVO](https://www.usno.navy.mil/NAVO)
[https://www.public.navy.mil/fltfor/cnmoc/Pages/home.aspx](https://www.public.navy.mil/fltfor/cnmoc/Pages/home.aspx)

"CNMOC is focused on providing critical environmental knowledge to the
warfighting disciplines of Anti-Submarine Warfare; Naval Special Warfare; Mine
Warfare; Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; and Fleet Operations
(Strike and Expeditionary), as well as to the support areas of Maritime
Operations, Aviation Operations, Navigation, Precise Time, and Astrometry."

This is almost certainly some kind of sensor array.

~~~
rmetzler
What kind of sensor would be useful for finding submarine internet cables?

~~~
lazyguy2
A phone would probably be the most useful sensor. You call the people that
laid the internet cables and ask.

~~~
pixl97
Russia here, can you tell me exactly where that cable is so I can do a mid
ocean fiber tap, ya, thanks.

There are many clandestine reasons for finding deep sea cables.

~~~
contingencies
Indeed. Croatian coastline. Possible game of phones?

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HillRat
Note that it’s almost certainly not a “NASA device;” the Navy’s oceanographic
office is located at the Stennis center, so it would make sense for it to be
returned there.

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nicoburns
That ship route sure looks like it was looking for the lost item, whatever it
is.

~~~
seiferteric
Either that or they were using it. Possibly towing it behind. Maybe it's some
sort of sonar scanner.

~~~
HillRat
Oceanographic sensor array of some kind — they may have been sampling ocean
characteristics near the coastline for research purposes.

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pixiemaster
Navy Oceanographic research is an euphemism for submarine hunting, right?

~~~
hprotagonist
NAVOCEANO does all sorts of stuff. some of it's even unclassified.

I've taken fleet money and gotten peer reviewed open access open source
publications and code out of it before.

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whalesalad
Funny that the guy only asked for 3 grand. Could have probably asked for 30
and gotten away with it.

~~~
ivanblagdan
From what the fisherman says, he’s really only asking for the repair costs of
his fishing nets.

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ajaalto
150 pounds is quite heavy. It could be a seismic air gun. They may float just
below the surface.

The route of the ship also matches that of a seismic or some other kind of
survey.

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davidw
What's the shipping waybill from?

~~~
netsharc
Huh, it's a waybill stickered to the device; in the picture with the man, you
can see the shipping sticker on the front left of the orange cube.

Which makes the device boring. If it had secrets inside or it was for military
use, they would not have sent it naked, using DH-effing-L!

At first I thought they sent something to the fisherman, and since he was
complaining about his fishing net, I thought the article was about to tell me
that he got a replacement fishing net straight from "NASA", as we can see from
the DHL package he got... but sadly that wasn't the case.

~~~
anon73044
Much easier to hide things in plain sight than say a big box that says
"Classified" or "Government Only"

~~~
adolph
Classic story: All for $79.25: How Russia Somehow Shipped a U.S. Missile To
Moscow by Mail

[https://warisboring.com/the-kgb-shipped-a-sidewinder-
missile...](https://warisboring.com/the-kgb-shipped-a-sidewinder-missile-by-
mail-to-moscow/)

------
huhtenberg
This fisherman might be a tough negotiator, but clearly not a keen
businessman. Could've gotten a top coin from the Russians for the same. I'm
sure they even have a sub in the area already.

~~~
lb1lf
The Russians could just buy one if they were so inclined; I don't think HIPAP
devices like the one pictured are under export control. (The HIPAP is just the
yellow pipe - the orange thingy looks like flotation whereas the glide pads on
the sides are to make launching the device simpler.

(I haven't worked on such kit myself, but my customers do and I encounter them
several times a year.)

