ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — It’s official: Debris found littered across several places in Western North Carolina were part of a SpaceX spacecraft that broke apart during re-entry.
A statement from NASA Public Affairs on Thursday, June 20, confirmed what many had wondered for weeks.
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“SpaceX has confirmed the re-entry of Dragon spacecraft trunk hardware to NASA following its service missions to the International Space Station,” the news release said.
“Most recently, the trunks that supported SpaceX’s 30th commercial services resupply and Crew-7 missions re-entered over Saudi Arabia and North Carolina, respectively,” the release continues.”NASA is unaware of any structural damage or injuries resulting from these findings.”
Officials said the debris was expected to burn up upon re-entry, but several pieces turned up in the mountains of North Carolina.
“During its initial design, the Dragon spacecraft trunk was evaluated for re-entry breakup and was predicted to burn up fully,” the release said. “The information from the debris recovery provides an opportunity for teams to improve debris modeling. NASA and SpaceX will continue exploring additional solutions as we learn from the discovered debris.”
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Between late May and early June, News 13 spoke with three mountain residents who stumbled upon what some believed to be debris from space. One piece found on a remote trail in Haywood County was three feet high and so heavy it had to be carried out using a lawn mower. Two smaller objects were found by residents in Franklin and Jackson County.
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NASA officials advised anyone who finds a piece of space debris to not handle or retrieve it. Instead, residents are asked to contact the SpaceX Debris Hotline at 1-866-623-0234 or at [email protected].
Daisy Hips is a science communicator who brings the wonders of the natural world to readers. Her articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to environmental conservation. Daisy is also an advocate for science education and enjoys stargazing in her spare time.
