Agents rushed to a Minnesota farm midafternoon last week after receiving a call about a 'foreign' object found in a crop field.
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Agents → rush → field
Authorities said in a Facebook post: 'On October 14, 2026, at approximately 3.30pm, the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call [about] foreign debris that was found in a cornfield in Scott Township.'
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that → say → Township
They found a metallic object approximately 11 feet in diameter that authorities believe may be space debris.
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authorities → find → diameter
Footage shared online by locals in Alberta shows two black vehicles parked just feet from the object as officers examine it.
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officers → share → it
The object appeared scorched along its underside, and farmers reportedly discovered the object while combining their fields.
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farmers → appear → fields
The Minnesota Duty Officer was alerted, prompting a response from federal agencies.
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Officer → alert → agencies
Authorities have since moved the object to a secure location.
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Authorities → move → location
The sheriff's office is coordinating with state and federal officials to identify and contact the object's owner and arrange its removal from the field.
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office → coordinate → field
Authorities found a metallic object approximately 11 feet in diameter that they believe may be space debris
Stevens County Sheriff Jason Dingman said that because the incident is an ongoing investigation, he cannot say which federal agencies are involved.
'
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agencies → find → diameter
There are several various agencies assisting in the determination of origin of this object,' Dingman said Friday afternoon.
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Dingman → be → object
We're not getting fed much information either and what info we do get is pretty cryptic.
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get → feed → info
So I think somebody way up the food chain above my head knows what this thing is but they are not even telling us.'
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they → think → us
Chokio resident Tena Wilts told the Star Tribune that she saw the object on Thursday while driving to her parents' house, about three miles away from the field.
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she → tell → field
Compared to the trucks, it seems very large and bizarre that it just kind of landed there in the middle of a field,' Wilts said.
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Wilts → compare → field
'We had a tornado through the area a few weeks ago, so that came to mind.
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that → have → mind
You hear about space garbage, too, so that comes to mind.'
Officials told KARE 11 that serial numbers were visible on the object, potentially offering investigators a way to trace its manufacturer or owner.
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numbers → hear → manufacturer
Authorities have said the discovery poses no danger to the public.
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discovery → say → public
Space debris includes defunct satellites, spent rocket stages and fragments created when spacecraft break apart or collide, according to NASA.
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spacecraft → include → NASA
Some objects eventually fall back toward Earth as their orbits decay.
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orbits → fall → Earth
During reentry, spacecraft generally break apart roughly 45 to 52 miles above the surface.
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spacecraft → break → surface
Their fragments then encounter intense heating as they descend, with some burning up and others surviving the journey to the ground.
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others → encounter → ground
NASA explains that components made from materials with higher melting points, including titanium and stainless steel, can survive longer than parts made from aluminum.
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components → explain → aluminum
Pieces protected inside larger structures may also be shielded from heating until the surrounding material breaks apart.
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material → protect → heating
NASA uses computer models to predict which spacecraft components might survive reentry.
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components → use → reentry
Controlled reentries are designed to guide debris toward remote areas, usually over the ocean.
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reentries → control → ocean
With an uncontrolled descent, however, NASA says there is no guarantee that surviving fragments will avoid populated land.
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fragments → say → land
Investigators have not publicly linked the Minnesota object to a particular satellite, rocket or launch.
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Investigators → link → satellite
The Aporia
