Debris from SpaceX spacecraft falls on Australian ranch

by ABC South East NSW: Adriane Reardon

It turned out that a fragment of a spacecraft with a total length of about 3 m had fallen on a ranch in Dalgetty, New South Wales, Australia. An astrophysicist who investigated the site reported that the debris belonged to SpaceX's spacecraft 'Crew-1'.

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According to rancher Mick Miners, this fragment was located away from the house and was accidentally discovered when passing nearby. Mr. Miners said, 'At the time of discovery, the area was foggy and I thought it was a lawnmower or something.'

Mr. Miners, who discovered the debris, contacted a farmer, Jock Wallace, who lives in the neighborhood. When Mr. Wallace examined the area, he said that he found some debris nearby.

Mr. Miners and Mr. Wallace contacted the Civil Aviation Safety Agency, but they said that they were told to 'contact NASA', and the two people who were puzzled said, 'What should a simple farmer say to NASA?' Instead, they turned to Dr. Brad Tucker, an astrophysicist at the Australian National University, for help.

The state of the debris taken by Mr. Tucker who visited the site looks like this. Although the exterior was burnt, it was possible to confirm parts such as wires, insulation materials, and bolts that kept their original shape. Also, it seems that the serial number was confirmed on the fragment that Mr. Wallace found, and it turned out that the fragment belonged to SpaceX.

About two weeks before Miners and his colleagues discovered the debris, there were many reports of hearing explosions and seeing debris in the sky over a wide area, including New South Wales. In fact, the area near the ranch was located near the route of the wreckage of the spaceship that had finished its role when it reentered the atmosphere, and although Mr. Wallace himself did not notice it, Mr. Wallace's daughter heard a loud noise at the time. .

Tucker said the debris could be the largest debris recorded in Australia since NASA's Skylab space station fell over Esperance, Western Australia, in 1979.