NASA Sheds Light on the “Wicked-Looking” Piece of Space Debris Found in North Carolina

The debris was found in late May by an employee of The Glamping Collective, a luxury resort in Haywood County, near Asheville. Justin Clontz, who maintains the grounds at the resort, described the slab as “kind of wicked looking.”

According to the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service, researchers track between 200 and 400 items entering Earth’s atmosphere each day. Yet, despite all these objects, few ever reach Earth. 

This could be anything ranging from parts of a rocket to much larger objects such as dead satellites. 

Despite most of the items remaining in orbit, a piece of something returns to Earth from time to time. Most recently, a small piece of space debris landed near Asheville, North Carolina. 

The capsule returned four astronauts to Earth from the International Space Station on March 12.

It is used to carry cargo and is covered in solar panels that provide power during the flight and while on the station.

NASA expected the trunk to burn up completely in the atmosphere, but the discovery of this piece, along with others, suggests some parts can survive the re-entry.

According to NASA, on average, one cataloged piece of space debris has fallen to Earth daily over the past five decades. 

The debris Clontz found was charred and covered in carbon fiber weaving.

Clontz was initially uncertain if it was safe to touch, remarking, “It’s just something that you don’t normally see. I’ve seen spaceships and stuff on TV, but the average person doesn’t get to see it up close.”

NASA stated it was “unaware of any structural damage or injuries resulting from these findings.”

Last month, another piece of suspected trunk debris from a different SpaceX mission was found in a farmer’s field in Saskatchewan, Canada.

Additionally, debris from a Crew Dragon trunk landed in Colorado last year, with a similar incident occurring in 2022 in Australia.

This piece came from a cargo pallet intentionally released from the International Space Station.

Jimi Russell, a NASA public affairs officer, stated that it “would not be appropriate for NASA to comment on a pending claim.”

Although it is rare for space debris to land in populated areas, the recent incidents raise concerns about the growing risk as space launches increase.

This spacecraft is expected to return to Earth with its crew later this summer. NASA plans to work with SpaceX to explore “additional solutions as we learn from the discovered debris.”

“Every time I go look at it, I think how cool it is,” he said. 

“To think that it launched from Florida, went to outer space, and came back down, and a piece of it flew off right over North Carolina is pretty cool.”

In 1997, a woman from Oklahoma was hit with a piece of a metallic material that once formed part of a propellant tank on the Delta II rocket. However, the chances of being hit are relatively low. 

However, this all depends on the number of objects being launched into space, which varies depending on the season and year. 

“It can be extremely challenging to predict where an object in an uncontrolled orbit will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere,” said one researcher, per the BBC. 

DW News offered some reassuring advice, explaining, “You’re three times more likely to be hit by a meteorite than space debris, and how often does space rock land on the planet? So, statistically, you should be okay.”

However, at some point in the near future, space organizations may be forced to develop programs to reduce the amount of space trash floating around our planet before it becomes a serious ecological problem.