Man Finds Rare Pieces Of A Space Shuttle That Had Washed Up On Beach

When you go on a walk on the beach, you expect it to be calming and relaxing with just you and a maybe a few other people who are there for the same reason you are. But when Reddit user newroot went for a walk on the beach, he came across something that was definitely unexpected. I don’t know what I would do if I came across this. I might run the other way, but I’m sure glad he stopped and took pictures to share with us all!

While going for a walk, he found this odd-shaped piece of metal.

It looks like a panel of some sort, but what does this wording mean?

The panel has definitely seen better days, as it’s very scratched up.

How in the world did this panel end up here?

A better look at the underside of the panel, with wires and electronics hanging out.

There was some tubing and wires that were exposed, but since it wasn’t connected to anything, he figured it was okay to get a little closer.

You can see the word “space” on the panel. Makes you wonder. It sure looks like this panel is missing from somewhere important.

There is some crazy insulation on the underside of the panel.

A closer look at this panel. I wonder what he was thinking when he found this just sitting there.

Update: It turned out that the panel was, indeed, from outer space. Not only was the Reddit community able to determine that it was a piece of the exterior shell of a space shuttle, but they were able to figure out which specific rocket it came from.

Furthermore, they determined that the panel belonged to Arianespace, a space launch company that’s headquartered in Paris. Since the company conducts its launches in South America (as well as Central Asia), it makes sense why the panel would have washed ashore in Mexico.

This was definitely a once in a lifetime find, when he came across this space shuttle debris on the side of the beach. I wonder if the panel is still there or maybe he took it. That would be an interesting thing to see displayed in someone’s home. Or maybe the company that lost it wanted it back. It’s hard to say. What are your thoughts?