Metal spheres found in Australia show how little we still know about falling space debris, experts say

Once again, the "Land Down Under" is on the apparent uptick for falling space debris.

In early July, the Australian Space Agency reported that objects recovered, dubbed "space balls," are likely pressure vessels from a space launch vehicle. Six spherical pieces of space junk were found in the small seaside community of Forrest Beach, near Ingham. Australian Queensland Fire Department crews swung into action to assist partner agencies following the discovery of the potentially hazardous objects. Scientific teams safely secured a number of the items, establishing a 165 feet (50-meter) "exclusion zone" around them to assure public safety. The nature and origin of the debris are still being investigated.

This latest incident is part of an unwanted legacy of being the "fall guy" for space remains, from the U.S. Skylab space station debris that fell into Western Australia in 1979; a chunk of a SpaceX Dragon trunk found

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