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| US space rocket debris found in sea off Scilly | US space rocket debris found in sea off Scilly |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A large chunk of an American space rocket has been found in the sea off the Isles of Scilly. | A large chunk of an American space rocket has been found in the sea off the Isles of Scilly. |
| The section of the spacecraft, measuring about 10m (32ft) by 4m (13ft), was spotted on the surface between Bryher and Tresco. | |
| Coastguards believe it is from the unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 which exploded after take-off in Florida in June. | Coastguards believe it is from the unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 which exploded after take-off in Florida in June. |
| However many astronomers believe it is from a different mission due to the size and markings. | |
| Local boatmen towed the section to Tresco where it has now been removed from the beach. | |
| Joseph Thomas, from Tresco Boat Services, found the section of rocket while travelling around the north end of the island. | Joseph Thomas, from Tresco Boat Services, found the section of rocket while travelling around the north end of the island. |
| He said: "There were lots of gulls on the water and I thought initially it was a dead whale and the birds were feeding off it." | He said: "There were lots of gulls on the water and I thought initially it was a dead whale and the birds were feeding off it." |
| Mr Thomas found the debris, which was "covered in goose barnacles", at about 14:00 GMT on Thursday about 100m (328ft) from the shore. | Mr Thomas found the debris, which was "covered in goose barnacles", at about 14:00 GMT on Thursday about 100m (328ft) from the shore. |
| "I didn't know what it was. We tried to drag it ashore using a hook, but it bent it. | "I didn't know what it was. We tried to drag it ashore using a hook, but it bent it. |
| "First thoughts were that it was part of a plane, but then we scraped the barnacles off and we saw it was part of a rocket. | |
| "It's not every day part of a rocket washes ashore at home." | "It's not every day part of a rocket washes ashore at home." |
| "It was too heavy for us to tow." | "It was too heavy for us to tow." |
| Coastguards issued a warning to shipping in the area after the discovery. | Coastguards issued a warning to shipping in the area after the discovery. |
| Spokesman Martin Leslie said: "The markings show an American flag. It looks like it's an American rocket and seems most likely to be the unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 which blew up shortly after take-off from Cape Canaveral in June. | Spokesman Martin Leslie said: "The markings show an American flag. It looks like it's an American rocket and seems most likely to be the unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 which blew up shortly after take-off from Cape Canaveral in June. |
| "We're grateful for all those who helped in its recovery, it was a great example of the community working together." | "We're grateful for all those who helped in its recovery, it was a great example of the community working together." |
| That rocket, which broke up shortly after take-off and landed in the sea about 4,100 miles from the Isles of Scilly, was in the process of sending a cargo ship to the International Space Station. | |
| However Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said many experts believed, due to the size and markings which have now been revealed, it was from a different mission. | |
| "All the geeks have been getting together and looking at fine details, and we're pretty sure it's a launch from September 2014 that successfully sent a cargo mission to the space station. | |
| "It didn't look like an exploded rocket to me, it looked like a fairly normal piece of space junk when the lower stage of a rocket falls from a hundred miles up and hits the ocean. Large sections can remain in tact and it's really quite normal," he said. | |
| Islander Pete Hicks, who towed the debris to shore, tweeted: "Towed in and beached a piece of flotsam earlier. Thoughts were could be aviation parts ..didnt imagine space race." | Islander Pete Hicks, who towed the debris to shore, tweeted: "Towed in and beached a piece of flotsam earlier. Thoughts were could be aviation parts ..didnt imagine space race." |
| Cornwall-based Michelin chef Nathan Outlaw tweeted: "Look at all those goose neck barnacles! How much do you want for them. Make a great special!" | Cornwall-based Michelin chef Nathan Outlaw tweeted: "Look at all those goose neck barnacles! How much do you want for them. Make a great special!" |