Texas woman finds wayward NASA equipment in wheat field

A West Texas woman discovered a car-sized piece of NASA equipment that had landed in her neighbor's wheat field after spotting a massive parachute drifting across the sky.

Ann Walter initially observed the unusual sight from her rural home before finding the boxy scientific instrument, approximately the size of an SUV, bearing NASA stickers and attached to a large parachute. She contacted local authorities and learned NASA was searching for missing equipment.

Walter later received confirmation from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, which launches high-altitude research balloons for scientific experiments. The equipment had been launched from Fort Sumner, New Mexico, approximately 140 miles from the landing site, and contained telescopes for studying stars, galaxies and black holes.

Hale County Sheriff David Cochran verified NASA had contacted his office about the missing equipment. Researchers subsequently retrieved the instrument using a truck and trailer. Walter and her family documented the unusual occurrence with photos and videos before its recovery.