Elite MemberA mysterious metal cylinder nestled in the sand on a Western Australia beach led police to close down the area to visitors for fear of hazardous material.
Initial speculation from the Australian Space Agency says the object could have come from a “foreign space launch.”
Officials quickly dismissed speculation that the item originated from a commercial airline flight.
July 17, 2023
______________________________________
An unidentified metal object washing ashore a sandy beach in an otherwise rural portion of Western Australia has generated far more than local interest. It’s taken on a global life—especially when the Australian Space Agency entered the fray by speculating on the source of the metal cylinder found wedged into the sand.
Discovered by locals on Sunday near Jurien Bay (about 150 miles from Perth), the damaged metal cylinder quickly added mystery to the otherwise sand-filled shore of the Indian Ocean. Local police cordoned off the area for fear of hazardous materials, and speculation regarding where the piece could have come from—and what it is—started to grow.
That speculation quickly turned toward space junk.
“The object could be from a foreign space launch vehicle, and we are liaising with global counterparts who may be able to provide more information,” the Australian Space Agency said on Twitter. “The origin of the object is unknown.”
The object, which barnacles growing on part of it, is estimated by a local resident to be about 8 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet long, according to an Australian public broadcast. It is also likely made of some sort of a lightweight material, such as carbon fiber.
The Western Australian police quickly shut down the idea that the object came from a commercial aircraft—including lost flight MH370—as the piece is not from a Boeing commercial aircraft. They added, according to The Guardian, that the item posed no risk to the community.
Alice Gorman, a space archeologist, told The Guardian that she believes the object looks like a fuel cylinder from the third stage of India’s polar satellite launch—a view shared on social media. “It’s surprising because it’s such a large fragment,” she said. “And it makes you wonder what was going on at the time, if maybe a marine weather event dislodged it and brought it ashore.”
Another aviation expert, Geoffrey Thomas, told the BBC that he believes the cylinder looks like a fuel tank that would have fallen in the ocean within the last 12 months.
Local police have been working to preserve the item and help find its origins. The Australian Space Agency, which has said it remains committed to the mitigation of space debris, wants to identify the source.
Gorman says that she believes the piece looks new enough to be from within the past decade. And if it really is a fuel cylinder, it could have had toxic rocket fuel inside—although she noted it clearly wasn’t toxic enough to have killed off any of the things growing on the metal. She added that, at this point, the cylinder is more likely filled with dirt and sand from its journey in the ocean.
Popular Mechanics
Initial speculation from the Australian Space Agency says the object could have come from a “foreign space launch.”
Officials quickly dismissed speculation that the item originated from a commercial airline flight.
July 17, 2023
______________________________________
An unidentified metal object washing ashore a sandy beach in an otherwise rural portion of Western Australia has generated far more than local interest. It’s taken on a global life—especially when the Australian Space Agency entered the fray by speculating on the source of the metal cylinder found wedged into the sand.
Discovered by locals on Sunday near Jurien Bay (about 150 miles from Perth), the damaged metal cylinder quickly added mystery to the otherwise sand-filled shore of the Indian Ocean. Local police cordoned off the area for fear of hazardous materials, and speculation regarding where the piece could have come from—and what it is—started to grow.
That speculation quickly turned toward space junk.
“The object could be from a foreign space launch vehicle, and we are liaising with global counterparts who may be able to provide more information,” the Australian Space Agency said on Twitter. “The origin of the object is unknown.”
The object, which barnacles growing on part of it, is estimated by a local resident to be about 8 feet wide and 8 to 10 feet long, according to an Australian public broadcast. It is also likely made of some sort of a lightweight material, such as carbon fiber.
The Western Australian police quickly shut down the idea that the object came from a commercial aircraft—including lost flight MH370—as the piece is not from a Boeing commercial aircraft. They added, according to The Guardian, that the item posed no risk to the community.
Alice Gorman, a space archeologist, told The Guardian that she believes the object looks like a fuel cylinder from the third stage of India’s polar satellite launch—a view shared on social media. “It’s surprising because it’s such a large fragment,” she said. “And it makes you wonder what was going on at the time, if maybe a marine weather event dislodged it and brought it ashore.”
Another aviation expert, Geoffrey Thomas, told the BBC that he believes the cylinder looks like a fuel tank that would have fallen in the ocean within the last 12 months.
Local police have been working to preserve the item and help find its origins. The Australian Space Agency, which has said it remains committed to the mitigation of space debris, wants to identify the source.
Gorman says that she believes the piece looks new enough to be from within the past decade. And if it really is a fuel cylinder, it could have had toxic rocket fuel inside—although she noted it clearly wasn’t toxic enough to have killed off any of the things growing on the metal. She added that, at this point, the cylinder is more likely filled with dirt and sand from its journey in the ocean.
Popular Mechanics
Administrator
.png){kind=icon}
