Slashdot Mirror
NASA To Investigate Mysterious 'Space Ball'
redletterdave writes "In mid-November, a hollow space ball fell from the sky and crashed into the earth in Namibia, the African nation situated above South Africa and west of Botswana and Zimbabwe. Authorities recovered the sphere in a grassy village north of Windhoek, the country's capital. The hollow ball, which appears to be made of 'two halves welded together,' has a rough surface, a 14-inch diameter and measures 43 inches around. The strange globe created a crater 13 inches deep and almost 12.5 feet wide, but was found almost 60 feet from the landing spot. Paul Ludik, the police forensics director investigating the case, says the dense ball weighs 13 pounds and is made of a 'metal alloy known to man.' NASA and the European Space Agency will both help investigate the strange occurrence."
My first thought was exactly the same as the previous two posts. Yet it's sad that the author could assume we all knew what a space ball was, but had to provide directions to help us locate a country that is larger than Texas. If only Mel Brooks had been a geography teacher.
Actually, it would have been even better if it had been a Coke bottle from space that fell in Botswana (which borders Namibia). But I doubt many people would have gotten the reference.