A few weeks ago, something from the sky crashed through the roof of Alejandro Otero’s house, and NASA is investigating.
This approximately 2-pound object likely came from the International Space Station. Otero said the roof and both floors of his two-story home in Naples, Florida, were torn through.
Otello was not at home at the time, but his son was there. Nest home security cameras captured the crash on March 8 at 2:34 PM local time (19:34 UTC). This is important information because this time approximately coincides with 2:29 PM ET. 19:29 UTC)—The U.S. Space Force says it has recorded the re-entry of space debris from the space station. At the time, the object was on its way over the Gulf of Mexico toward southwest Florida.
This space junk consisted of degraded batteries from the ISS, which were attached to cargo pallets that were originally supposed to return to Earth in a controlled manner. But a series of delays meant the cargo pallet missed its return to Earth, so NASA jettisoned the battery from the space station and headed for an unguided reentry in 2021.
Otello probably encountered space junk because First reported by WINK News, a CBS affiliate in southwest Florida. NASA spokesman Josh Finch said the agency has since recovered the debris from the homeowner.
Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center plan to analyze the object “to determine its origin as soon as possible,” Finch told Ars. “We will have more information once the analysis is complete.”
Ars reported on the re-entry as it occurred on March 8, noting that most of the material from the battery and cargo ship likely burned up as it entered the atmosphere. Temperatures reached thousands of degrees, and most of the material would have evaporated before reaching the ground.
The entire pallet, which contained nine batteries that were no longer used by the space station’s power system, weighed more than 2.6 metric tons (5,800 pounds), according to NASA. Size-wise, it’s about twice as tall as a standard kitchen refrigerator. Note that objects of this mass or larger regularly fall to Earth in guided orbits, but are usually failed satellites or spent rocket stages left in orbit after completing their mission. That is important.
In the post of XOtero said he was waiting to hear from a “responsible agency” to settle the cost of damages to his home.
Hello. It appears one of those pieces missed Fort Myers and landed on my house in Naples.
It broke through the roof and reached the second floor. Almost his son.
Can you help me contact NASA? I left a message or email without replying. pic.twitter.com/Yi29f3EwyV— Alejandro Otero (@Alejandro0tero) March 15, 2024
If the object is NASA property, Otero or his insurance company could file a claim against the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act, said Michelle Hanlon, executive director of the University of Mississippi Aerospace Law Center. It is said that there is a possibility.
“It would be even more interesting if we found out that this material did not originally come from the United States,” she told Ars. “If it is a man-made space object launched into space by another country and it causes damage on Earth, that country is absolutely responsible for the damage caused to the homeowner. Let’s go.”
In this case, this could be a problem. The battery was owned by NASA but was attached to a pallet structure launched by the Japanese space agency.
