EPHRATA, Washington (AP) – A piece of burning rocket debris seen seeping across the northwestern Pacific sky crashed on a farm in eastern Washington last week, authorities said.
After the March 25 event, a farmer discovered a piece of rocket almost intact in a private field, The Tri-City Herald reported.
The 5-meter (1.5-meter) composite-wrapped pressure vessel, used to store helium, left a nearly 4-inch (10.16-centimeter) piece in the ground, the County County Sheriff’s spokesman said. Kyle Foreman. No one was injured, he said.
Roman Puzhlyakov through AP In this image taken from the video provided by Roman Puzhlyakov, the remains of a SpaceX rocket illuminate the sky behind the clouds over Vancouver, Washington.
The Seattle National Meteorological Service said the bright objects reported in the sky on March 25 were remnants of the second stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, leaving comet-like paths as they burned as they re-entered Earth’s atmosphere.
The farmer, who authorities said they did not want to be identified, suspected the debris could have come from the rocket and left a message at the sheriff’s office over the weekend, Foreman said. Deputies responded Monday and contacted SpaceX officials. SpaceX has confirmed it is part of the rocket and has since recovered it, Foreman said.
Falcon 9 is a two-stage reusable rocket designed by SpaceX to carry people and payloads into Earth orbit and beyond, according to the SpaceX website. It is said that there were 111 launches and 71 landings.
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