# Help Australia identify this mystery object **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 17, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162 "2023-07-17T15:22:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/1 "2023-07-17T15:22:32Z")
…which has washed up on the west coast. > **[Australia baffled as unidentified mystery object washes up on beach](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-66220494)** > > The item is under police guard as state and federal authorities work to identify its origin. I’m not an expert, but i’d say it’s some sort of round thing. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/2 "2023-07-17T15:26:21Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > I’m not an expert, but i’d say it’s some sort of round thing. I actually have a collection of round things, and in my expert opinion you are correct. It is a round thing. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/3 "2023-07-17T15:27:26Z")
It’s a very large “[Fiendish Thingie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmFZKqW77gQ).” ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/4 "2023-07-17T15:30:19Z")
Looks like the egress bulkhead from an Antares-class Venusian orbital landing craft to me. Earth is under attack, and we are woefully unprepared! ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/5 "2023-07-17T15:56:24Z")
It’s been identified on Reddit as a rocket part but I can’t quickly find the post. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/6 "2023-07-17T15:59:17Z")
> [@mixdenny](#): > > It’s been identified on Reddit as a rocket part but I can’t quickly find the post. The butt plug? ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/7 "2023-07-17T16:00:05Z")
Could it be the “round tuit” people say they need to get before doing some job, but somehow never manage to? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/8 "2023-07-17T16:01:33Z")
Whatever it is, guaranteed it’s full of Fosters – Australian for, “be-ah.” ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/9 "2023-07-17T16:01:57Z")
The _capo di tutti capo_? ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/10 "2023-07-17T16:57:04Z")
My guess was going to be a piece of wreckage from that Malaysian Air flight that went missing a few years back. But I’d think something like that would be easily identifiable. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/11 "2023-07-17T17:54:31Z")
I saw _this_ mysterious unidentified object being trucked out of Edwards AFB a couple of weeks ago. I’m thinking it could be connected somehow. [![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsMRgF9gFDdLEtOZsUQUdOq_5hTDME3M_NUOo2ofYHyfY4HCaKfur9J8uK5lt1iUonih3_j6MPG648jnN1k4bWnFHhOAcXNRexy4budUmyU6C_7sEVMFoAQtRcy0msagYAbFzEoCq1POtpJUwt7XWKB1RRnCsccAHYAeYVKpdkRBa60UhXJqrmJLSDul-/s1759/aa.jpg) ](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilsMRgF9gFDdLEtOZsUQUdOq_5hTDME3M_NUOo2ofYHyfY4HCaKfur9J8uK5lt1iUonih3_j6MPG648jnN1k4bWnFHhOAcXNRexy4budUmyU6C_7sEVMFoAQtRcy0msagYAbFzEoCq1POtpJUwt7XWKB1RRnCsccAHYAeYVKpdkRBa60UhXJqrmJLSDul-/s1759/aa.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Chad\_Sudan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chad_sudan/32/4509_2.png) [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/12 "2023-07-17T20:22:47Z")
I’ve been wondering – if someone in Australia had gotten to this object (which, it’s been suggested, might be an Indian rocket fuel tank) before the authorities arrived, and were able to haul it into their own front yard… Would they be forced to surrender it later, and based on what law(s)? ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/13 "2023-07-17T20:45:15Z")
[The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jul/17/mystery-object-wa-beach-green-head-western-australia) writes it is probably an indian rocket fuel tank indeed, and if you believe the drawing (or is it an AI-generated picture?) it looks true. According to the article the thing has to be given back to India: > She said the next step involves identifying its true source and returning it to its original country of origin, as per the UN’s [Outer Space Treaty](https://www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourwork/spacelaw/treaties/introouterspacetreaty.html). I guess an international treaty trumps your right to a souvenir. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/14 "2023-07-17T21:15:15Z")
That’s been ID’d on reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1513w1i/approximately\_25m\_tank\_like\_object\_appears\_to\_be/](https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/1513w1i/approximately_25m_tank_like_object_appears_to_be/) [![](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hoistingofthethirdandfourthstagesofpslv-c29duringvehicleintegration-scaled.jpg) ](https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/hoistingofthethirdandfourthstagesofpslv-c29duringvehicleintegration-scaled.jpg) [![](https://i.imgur.com/JLKc3An.png) ](https://i.imgur.com/JLKc3An.png) ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/15 "2023-07-17T21:17:56Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Whatever it is, guaranteed it’s full of Fosters – Australian for, “be-ah.” I was thinking it was some sort of new-fangled “bah-bie”, to put another shrimp on. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/16 "2023-07-17T21:47:00Z")
fyi, it’s pronounced “Baaaaaaah-bie”. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/17 "2023-07-17T22:31:10Z")
Also “pro-ahn”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/18 "2023-07-17T22:42:56Z")
I’m not sure that picture is especially persuasive as a definite ID of the object, but the article says it has a diameter of about 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) and judging scale from the two men in the picture that looks about right. But I’d put my money on it being a rocket part for sure. Whether it’s that particular rocket I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2023, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/19 "2023-07-17T23:56:12Z")
But “Fosters” is pronounced, “Fosters,” right? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ouFlq9CYp20/hqdefault.jpg "Marge tries to order coffee from an Australian pub") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouFlq9CYp20) ---
**Author:** ![Quondam\_Mechanic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quondam_mechanic/32/3404_2.png) [@Quondam\_Mechanic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quondam_Mechanic)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2023, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162/20 "2023-07-18T00:56:25Z")
“Fostiz,” I think – said the man who lives where they pronounce it “Fostahs.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-australia-identify-this-mystery-object/987162.md?page=2)