Indian space debris that washed up at Green Head to be housed at Scitech

A piece of Indian space junk that crashed to Earth and spent years in the Indian Ocean before washing ashore at Green Head will be displayed in the Scitech Planetarium in West Perth. The 500kg tank was jettisoned from the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle once its rocket fuel was used. It’s not known which launch mission the tank was from, but authorities estimated it had been in the Indian Ocean for years before being found at Green Head Beach, about 30km north of Jurien Bay, in July last year. As part of a $1 million increase in State funding to Scitech, the debris will soon be on display at the museum’s Planetarium foyer, free of charge. The funding will also go towards regional visits, a Science on a Sphere exhibit exploring the solar system, and the relaunch of the Banksia Woodlands installation. Science Minister Stephen Dawson said the debris was allowed to stay in Perth following discussions between Australian and Indian space authorities. It is understood that Indian space researchers were not interested in retrieving the debris because transporting it back to the subcontinent was too expensive. Communities around Green Head had hoped the piece would stay locally as a tourist attraction, but the Government ultimately decided Scitech was the best spot. “We wanted to make sure that as many Western Australians as possible could see it, understand it, learn about its journey, and hopefully get an interest sparked in science as a result,” Mr Dawson said. The minister said the space junk might get a new name via a public competition. Scitech CEO John Chappell said the debris told a story about space and ocean currents. “There’s a whole range of different science that we can inspire our kids and big kids and families with as well,” Mr Chappell said. “It’s a privilege to be able to allow the community to come and see this impressive object for themselves and learn about the role it played in sending a rocket into space and its journey back to Earth.” Mr Chappell said inspiring the next generation to take a keen interest in science was important because many future jobs relied on STEM skills.