Barry Sawchuk, a 66-year-old farmer from Saskatchewan, usually focuses on seeding rather than space exploration. However, his recent discovery of a large piece of debris in his fields caught his attention.
While checking the moisture levels in his fields in late April, Mr. Sawchuk stumbled upon the mysterious object, which turned out to be part of a rocket. “Not every day you go out in your field and find space junk,” he remarked.
Upon closer inspection, the debris appeared to be a burned-up piece of carbon fiber with aluminum honeycomb and a hydraulic cylinder. This unusual find puzzled Mr. Sawchuk and his family, leading them to believe it came from the sky.
After conducting some research, they realized it was indeed space debris. The family found the discovery intriguing and even did an interview with a local newspaper about the find.
Photos of the debris reached Samantha Lawler, an astronomy professor at the University of Regina, who confirmed it was space junk. Further investigation by astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell linked the debris to a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that had recently returned to Earth.
SpaceX did not provide a comment on the matter, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada ruled out any aircraft reports related to the object. Ms. Lawler highlighted the increasing presence of space debris due to private companies like SpaceX launching satellites and spacecraft.
She emphasized the challenges of tracking space junk and its impact on astronomy and atmospheric chemistry. Despite the excitement of the discovery, Mr. Sawchuk remains focused on farming. “We grow grain,” he stated. “That’s what we do.”
Can you please rewrite this sentence?
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