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Mystery of the 6kg ball that fell from the sky

December 23 2011 at 07:26am Comment on this story

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AFP/ NFS

A handout photo provided by the National ForensicScience Institute shows a giant metallic ball of 1,1metre in diameter weighing some 6 kilograms that fellout of the sky on a remote grassland in Namibia,prompting baffled authorities to contact NASA and the

European space agency (ESA).

It left locals baffled when it fell from the sky withoutexplanation.

Now police have notified Nasa and the European

Space Agency of this mysterious metal ball, which

landed in northern Namibia.

It weighs around 6 kilograms and has a circumference

of 1.1metres, according to police forensics director

Paul Ludik.

He said it left a hole 30cm deep and nearly 4 metres

wide when it hit the ground.

Locals claimed to have heard several explosions in

the days before it was discovered by a farmer on his

land.

Ludik said the noise could have been a sonic boom orjust the sound of the object hitting the ground.

The find sparked speculation on the internet that it could be proof of extra terrestrial life.

However, a more likely theory is that it is a hydrazine tank, used on satellites to store the flammable

chemical.

Ludik said that more tests needed to be done before any conclusions about its origins could be reached.

He said that the ball was discovered a month ago but it had only now been made public.

It was said to be made from a sophisticated material, which appeared to be a metallic compound

normally used in space vehicles.

Police deputy inspector general Vilho Hifindaka said that the ball, which landed 480 miles from the

Namibian capital Windhoek, did not pose any danger.

He said:It is not an explosive device, but rather hollow, but we had to investigate all this first. - Daily Mail

and Sapa

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