HOUSTON A NASA official confirmed Wednesday that a mysterious object that washed onto a beach last week near Corpus Christi, Texas came from a French Ariane 5 rocket.

What Is Space Junk?

Orbital debris or "space junk" is anything human-made in orbit that nolonger serves a purpose. Its size can range from paint flakes to rocket-engine stages.

More than 9,000 objects larger than 4 inches (10 centimeters) are known to exist. The estimated population of particles between 0.4 and 4 inches (1 and 10 centimeters) in diameter is greater than 100,000. The number of particles smaller than 0.4 inch (1 centimeter) probably exceeds tens of millions.

When a space shuttle flies, the U.S. Space Command, headquartered in Colorado, tracks any potential hazards to the orbiter. Check out the Johnson Space Centers orbital debris site .

Johnson Space Centers (JSC) Nicholas Johnson traveled to the South Texas community to confirm what he already suspected from verbal descriptions and photos posted to the internet that the object was the nosecone from one of two solid rocket boosters used on Ariane 5.

"We confirmed its identity and that it came from an Ariane 5, the third mission of Ariane in October 1998," said Johnson, who is the program manager for JSCs orbital debris program.

Ariane 5 rockets launch from the Kourou Spaceport in French Guiana. Its solid-rocket booster nosecones detach so their parachutes can deploy for recovery. The nosecone floated from the South American coast more than 2,500 miles (4,025 kilometers) in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.

After examining the nosecone for identification numbers, Johnson forwarded the information to Arianespace who confirmed the parts identity. The French company has indicated it would like the component back.

"The French have made an unofficial request, and were working the State Department and NASA Headquarters," he said. "Theyll have to pay the shipping bill though."

Johnson said this particular nosecone is interesting since it originated from a launch supported by the space agency and the Defense Department with observation aircraft.

It was discovered Friday on Mustang Island State Park across from Corpus Christi and drew numerous onlookers. During the weekend, a beachcomber carted the nosecone off, sparking a local mystery, but local law enforcement officials located the man.