Chunk of space debris lands in Sask. farm field
Farmer hopes to sell the 2-metre wide piece of burnt metal to raise money for local hockey rink
As a farmer in rural Saskatchewan, Barry Sawchuk is used to removing rocks and weeds from his fields.
But he recently discovered atwo-metre wide, 40-kilogram heap of twisted, burnt metal.
"My oldest son and I were out driving around just checking fields," said Sawchuk, who farms near Ituna, Sask., about 250 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon."We came across thisobject. We thought originally it was just garbage."
Sawchuk said the multiple layers of charred composite fibres and webbing made him suspectit was space debris.
"But I hadno idea. I don't build spaceships for a living. I farm," he said.
A group ofastronomy professors heard about the caseand, after agreeing that it was space debris, decided to try to figure out where it came from. Based on the date and location, they connected it toa rocket from private company SpaceXthat flew back in February.
University of Regina astronomy professor Samantha Lawler, one of those working with Sawchuk, notedlarge chunks of metal from space have recently been found in Australia and Washington state, and one smashedthrough the roof on a house in Florida.
Lawler said space launches and re-entries are now a daily occurrence, sotherisk of serious damage or death is increasing rapidly.
"It's really just luck. If that had hit in the middle of Regina or, yeah, New York City,it very easily could have killed someone," she said.
Lawler and others say some countries have rules regarding space debris, but they were written before anyone imagined private companies joining the space race. She said better regulations are urgently needed.
"The aggregate effects of all of these satellites and all of these re-entries need to be considered more carefully. This will be tested in the very near future. It's really unfortunate how this is evolving," she said.
No one from SpaceX or the Canadian Space Agency could be reached for comment. So far, the company hasn't come to claim the debris from Sawchuk.
Sawchuk saidonce spring seeding is done on the farm, he has plans for his new treasure.
"Here in Ituna, Saskatchewan, we're in the process of building a [hockey]rink. I think, if I can, I'm going to sell it. Some of the proceeds will go to the rink," he said. "That's where I was born and raised, so why not?"