RNZAF Investigate Unidentified Fallen Object

[Dave Homewood]

U. fallen O.

An officer of the R.N.Z.A.F. will inspect an “unidentified fallen object” discovered on a Huntingdon, Ashburton, farm on Monday. The “object," a blue-green metallic ball 48in in circumference, is being held at the Ashburton Police Station until the Air Force has seen it.

The ball was found beside a 6in indentation in the dry, hard, ground, without footprints leading to, or in the vicinity of it. The ball is of a metal Jin thick, and weighs 1311 b. It is in two halves, which have been welded together.

At one end metal has been twisted back from an irregular hole about 6in by 3in, around which the metal has been coloured purple and gold. It is possible that something was attached to the exterior of the ball, as on the opposite side of the large hole is a smaller one with a raised surface.

The Press, 5th of April 1972

[Dave Homewood]

I can recall hearing about a case several years later, late 1970s or early 1980s, of a metal ball being found that was supposedly fallen from the sky. They put a photo of it in all the newspapers and a theory was that it may have fallen off the Skylab space station or another satellite. But then someone recognised it, it was a petanque ball.

[saratoga]

Probably where it ended up...

www.stuff.co.nz/national/129313376/one-persons-space-junk-is-an-invercargill-mans-treasure