These metal shavings are from the inaugural mission (Delta 163, July 16, 1982) of McDonnell Douglas' Delta 3920 rocket, which lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. with NASA's Landsat-D earth observation satellite.

The two stage, 118-foot rocket was upgraded from the 3910 with a larger capacity second stage booster. The 3920 could lift 3,451 pounds into a 115 mile orbit or 2,828 pounds into geosynchronous orbit.

This metal fragment was collected from the debris of an Atlas-Centaur unmanned rocket that was carrying a Naval communications satellite when it was struck by lightning four times (March 26, 1987).

The surge of electricity scrambled data in its guidance computer, resulting in an erroneous command to tilt its the thrusters to the maximum. This extreme action destroyed the rocket as the vehicle broke apart mid-flight.