A mystery object believed to be space junk has been removed from a Western Australian beach as questions swirl about where it came from and where it will end up.
Police are treating the acorn-shaped piece that washed ashore yesterday at Green Head, about 220 kilometres north of Perth, as space debris until investigators are able to determine otherwise.
National agencies, including the Australian Space Agency, are working to identify its origin.
“At this time, it is believed the item is space debris and will be managed as such until it can be determined otherwise,” WA Police said in a statement.
A police escort took the mystery object away to a secure location this afternoon after environment officers in protective gear finished taking samples of the crater hole to ensure the beach is safe for the public.
speculation it might have been a piece of the doomed MH370 flight, which vanished a decade ago.
Many have voiced their theories about where the piece of debris originated but authorities have urged the public to refrain from drawing conclusions until the investigation is completed.
They were quick to pour cold water on speculation it might have been a piece of the doomed MH370 flight, which vanished a decade ago.
If the item is confirmed to be space debris, it’s still unclear which launch or vessel it came from before plummeting into the Indian Ocean and washing ashore on the tides.
Space and law expert Melissa de Zwart said for a long time agencies would simply launch things into space without much thought for the debris.
“The stages would fall off as it went into orbit … The hope was that most of it would burn up on re-entry but it doesn’t always do that.”
WA Premier Roger Cook went as far as suggesting that the piece could end up in a museum in Perth once it’s formally identified.
Questions also remain about where it will go next. WA Premier Roger Cook went as far as suggesting that the piece could end up in a museum in Perth once it’s formally identified.
“Perhaps this could be an addition to the Skylab piece that we have and might add to our growing collection of space debris,” he said, with a smile.
But in this area, finders are not necessarily keepers.
“Once you essentially launch something it belongs to you and there is an obligation under international space law to return insofar as possible, anything that lands on your state that belongs to another state,” de Zwart said, adding that the government could bill the launcher for removal costs.
Police earlier labelled the object as “hazardous” as they worked to identify if there was a risk to the community.
After analysis of the object by the Department of Fire and Emergency Service’s chemistry centre it was determined safe. Buy weed online in Australia without any risk. AU Entirecannabis is completely encrypted and safe to browse on any of your devices.
