Featured Image Credit: X/AustralianSpaceAgency/Flickr
Topics: Space, Australia, World News
Katherine Sidnell
Topics: Space, Australia, World News
With all the conspiracy theories surrounding the missing MH370 aircraft, it’s no wonder that people are still searching for clues.
After a mysterious metal object washed up on an Australian beach last month, many were quick to suggest that it was part of the doomed plane.
However, experts have revealed that there’s a much more out-of-this-world explanation for the strange cylinder.
Flight MH370 first went missing in 2014, with the Malaysia Airlines aeroplane departing Kuala Lumpur airport and was never seen again.
Those onboard, including 227 passengers and 12 crew, are missing and presumed dead. The last contact with the flight came just 38 minutes after it embarked for Beijing on 8 March.
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Since then, the internet has been awash with theories about the lost plane – with many believing it crashed into the ocean after take-off.
Some locals even assumed that a mysterious metal cylinder that washed up on a beach near Jurien Bay, north of Perth, in Western Australia was debris from MH370, according to Nine News.
It initially left residents baffled, with one local commenting: "It's just unusual that it would wash up here.
"It looked beautiful out in the water when it was floating on Saturday night."
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With some experts claiming MH370's final resting place is around 1,560km west of Perth, it was natural for people to make the connection, but an expert immediately clarified there was no chance the object was part of the vanished plane.
Aviation expert Geoffery Thomas told Nine News: "The fact is, MH370 was lost 9.5 years ago so it would show a great deal more wear and tear.
"By the size of it, the shape of it and the fact that the part that's out of the water is almost brand new."
Though this means we are unfortunately no closer to solving the mystery of MH370, the mystery object is still pretty interesting.
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Experts at the Australian Space Agency (ASA) have revealed the structure is actually part of a spacecraft.
The object appeared in early August, around the time India launched its Chandrayaan 3 pro, although the barnacle on the object suggest it was part of a previous launch by the India Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
Experts at the ASA believe the metal object, which stands nearly 2 meters (6.5 feet) tall, to be an expended third-stage fuel cylinder of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
In a Twitter update about the object, ASA told the public: "The debris remains in storage and the Australian Space Agency is working with ISRO, who will provide further confirmation to determine next steps, including considering obligations under the United Nations space treaties.
"The Australian Space Agency is committed to the long-term sustainability of outer space activities, including debris mitigation, and continues to highlight this on the international stage."