A large piece of debris thought to be from an unmanned US rocket which blew up on its way to the International Space Station six months ago has washed up on a beach in the Scilly Isles.
The large piece of alloy measures 10m by 4m and has markings including a stars and stripes flag.
Experts believe it is part of the Space X rocket which was unsuccessfully launched from Cape Carnival in Florida – more than 4,000 miles away from the Cornish beach.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It was spotted by coastguards floating on the water between Bryher and Tresco, the BBC reports.
Joseph Thomas, from Tresco Boat Services, said he initially thought it was a dead whale.
"I didn't know what it was. We tried to drag it ashore using a hook, but it bent it," he said.
"[We then thought] it was part of a plane, but then we scraped the barnacles off and we saw it was part of a rocket. It's not every day part of a rocket washes ashore at home."
The wreckage has since been towed ashore at Tresco, where it is being held.
Martin Leslie, coastal area commander for the coastguard, thanked everyone involved in the operation.
"We're grateful for all those who helped in its recovery – it was a great example of the community working together," he said.
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drugSpeed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policySpeed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UKSpeed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakersSpeed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
