A Florida family has filed a lawsuit against the NASA after a piece of space junk from the International Space Station (ISS) ended up in their roof. Earlier this year, a cylindrical object weighing about five pounds fell through the roof of a home in Naples, Florida, causing a hole in the ceiling and floor. The accident occurred in conjunction with the re-entry into the atmosphere of a pallet of old batteries from the ISS, which crashed into the Gulf of Mexico, then headed towards southwest Florida.
The mystery of space debris
The homeowner reported the incident, and NASA recovered the object for analysis. In April, the space agency confirmed that it was a fragment of the flight support equipment used to mount batteries on the pallet.
“Space debris is a real and serious problem due to the increase in space traffic in recent years,” said Mica Nguyen Worthy, the family’s attorney, in a statement. “My clients are seeking appropriate compensation for the stress and impact this event has had on their lives. They are grateful that no one was physically injured, but such a situation could have been catastrophic.”
The consequences for the family
The owner’s son, Alejandro Otero, was home alone at the time of the accident, but fortunately he was not injured. The piece of debris left a hole from the roof to the floor. The family seeks compensation for property damage, emotional and mental anguish, and costs incurred for third-party assistance needed in the process.
NASA’s responsibility
The pallet containing nine batteries weighed approximately 2,630 kg, making it the heaviest piece of waste launched from the ISS. It was jettisoned from the Canadarm2 robotic arm in March 2021 and dropped toward Earth in an uncontrolled reentry. NASA predicted that the entire pallet would burn up upon re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, but this was evidently not the case. On average, 200-400 human-made objects re-enter Earth’s atmosphere every year.
“NASA remains committed to operating responsibly in low Earth orbit and reducing risks as much as possible to protect people on Earth when it is necessary to release space hardware,” the space agency wrote in an earlier statement.
This case is a rare incident of space debris crashing onto private property, and could set a precedent as Earth’s orbit continues to be overrun by space debris.
What do you think NASA should do to prevent similar events in the future?
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