Close Encounters of the 7th Kind (beta)

The Russian Federal Space Agency and NASA are saying that this mysterious titanium structure is not a part of any of their satellites, rockets or spacecraft. The Russian agency seized it and they are trying to determine its origin.

According to the villagers of Otradnesnky, in Siberia, Russia, the 440-pound (200-kilogram) titanium object with a ridged dome fell in a nearby forest on March 18. While local journalists claim it may be part of a fallen Meridian satellite or a ballistic missile, the Russian Federal Space Agency says it is not:

The object is not a rocket or a spacecraft, but final conclusions can only be drawn once it is examined.

There was no radiation near or inside the mysterious object.

NASA agrees with their Russian counterparts. Nick Johnson—who directs NASA’s orbital debris office—says that “the object almost certainly is not related to a spacecraft. It also does not look like part of a launch vehicle which has fallen from orbit. However, we cannot be definitive in our judgment without better photos and other data. For example, the date the object fell is vitally important, but I did not see reference to it.”

- Jesus Diaz, gizmodo.com