Mysterious 'space ball' crashes down in Namibia grasslands
Metal sphere appears to be welded; space agencies asked to see if it's a piece of space junk
By Space.com Staff
updated 12/22/2011 7:23:43 PM ET 2011-12-23T00:23:43
- A strange metal ball dropped out of the sky and slammed into the remote grassland of northern Namibia recently, according to press reports.
The 14-inch-wide (35-centimeter) metallic sphere hit the ground about 480 miles (750 kilometers) north of Windhoek, the African country's capital. It left a crater 13 inches (33 cm) deep and 12.5 feet (3.8 meters) across, the Agence-France Presse (AFP) reported Thursday.
A National Forensic Science Institute photo shows a giant metallic ball
that is 14 inches wide and weighs 13 pounds that fell out of the sky on
a remote grassland in Namibia. Baffled authorities contacted NASA and
the European Space Agency Wednesday.
The metal "space ball" weighs 13 pounds (6 kilograms). It has a rough surface and appears to consist of two halves that were welded together, according to AFP.
The mystery sphere was discovered in mid-November, but local authorities held off on announcing the find until they could perform a few tests. They determined it poses no danger to the public.
More: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45770560/ns/today-today_tech/t/mysterious-space-ball-crashes-down-namibia-grasslands/
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