Modern Mysteries

Mystery of 'object from space' found in woods may have been solved

By T.K. Randall
May 29, 2024 ·  3 comments
A few days ago, we reported on the case of Justin Clontz - a groundskeeper at the Glamping Collective campsite - who came across a strange charred object along the nearby forest trails.

Measuring an inch thick and around 3-4ft across, the mystery object was so heavy and unwieldy that he had to resort to using a lawn mower to tow it back to the camp grounds.

North Carolina groundskeeper discovers mysterious space debris along hiking trail: 'It's not from up here' https://t.co/xfH8WBac6k pic.twitter.com/hd263SF5zD

- New York Post (@nypost) May 25, 2024

Almost completely black in color, the object had several metal plates and rivets attached to it while its surface was covered in what looked like charred and frayed carbon fiber.

At the time, the object generated a great deal of debate and intrigue, with social media users left speculating over exactly what the object could be and where it had come from.Now, according to Smithsonian astrophysicist Dr Jonathan McDowell, the most likely explanation is that the object is in fact a section of a storage trunk from a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

"The debris matches the expected location of these reentries," he told Mail Online, while noting that similar objects had also been found in Canada and Australia.

"We have coincidence in time and place. They look similar to each other and to the Australia debris which is confirmed to come from a Dragon trunk."

His analysis would seem to put to bed the mystery surrounding the discovery, although it is certainly disconcerting that pieces of space debris are just falling from the sky in random locations.

Given the size of the pieces and the relatively low percentage of the Earth's surface that's actually inhabited, however, the chance of anyone being hit by such a thing remains extremely low.

Source: Mail Online | Comments (3)

Tags: Debris