Don’t Touch the Space Balls!
The Queensland Fire Department in Australia is warning beachgoers not to touch mysterious metal balls that have washed up at Forrest Beach. Forrest Beach is about 200 km south of Cairns, facing the Palm Islands in North Queensland.
Specialist QFR Scientific teams have safely secured a number of the items throughout the weekend and remain on scene continuing their work. A 50-metre exclusion zone is still in place. The nature and origin of the debris are still being investigated.
A “space ball” on Forrest Beach near Cairns (Photo: Queensland Fire Department)
It looks like these objects are hydrazine monopropellant tanks from the upper stage of a rocket or from a de-orbited satellite. On social media, they have been dubbed “space balls” in reference to the 1987 Mel Brooks film Spaceballs that actually has an upcoming sequel set for next year.
Apparently, the “space balls” have appeared before, at least once, in 2011 in a remote area of Namibia.