Suspected debris from SpaceX capsule lands on farmland in Australia | Science & Technology News
According to farmers and an astrophysicist, part of what is suspected to be a SpaceX capsule has crashed on farmland in Australia.
After being startled by an explosion around 7 a.m. Saturday morning, two farmers discovered what appeared to be space devices scattered across their pasture.
Shepherd farmer Jock Wallace initially called Australia’s civil aviation authority for instructions, but they advised him to contact NASA.
“I’m a farmer from Dalgety, what do I tell NASA?” he told ABC.
Mr Wallace and his neighbor Mick Miners turned to Dr Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University, for help.
Dr Tucker told Sky News he explained to farmers why he believed the artifacts came from a SpaceX the capsule crashed to Earth in May.
Photo: Brad Tucker
“At 7 a.m. local time, the SpaceX Crew-1 Trunk, the unpressurized bottom portion of the capsule, was cataloged and tracked for re-entry into southern areas of New South Wales. in Australia“, explains Dr. Tucker.
Appearing like a monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey by Stanley Kubrick, the piece of space junk was nearly three meters high and was found embedded in the ground.
According to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, the small town of Dalgety in New South Wales – where it was found – almost completely aligns with the trunk’s re-entry.
SpaceX did not respond to Sky News’ request for a statement regarding whether space junk was what it left behind orbiting the planet.
Dr. Tucker said: “At the time, people in the area heard an explosive sound as the trunk entered the atmosphere. People also saw it break apart, characteristic of space junk.
“After testing, you can see scorching patterns,” says Dr. Tucker.
He added: “These parts can also be visually matched to the image and parts of the trunk.
Photo: Brad Tucker
Fortunately, matter hitting the Earth is a great distance from both the residential and livestock properties of farmers.
The re-entry of space junk is a controversial topic, with the US and China exchanging criticisms over the issue. uncontrolled re-entry of China’s Long March-5B booster later this week.
