posted 04-01-2024 08:39 PM               

Otero wasn't home at the time, but his son was there. A Nest home security camera captured the sound of the crash at 2:34 pm local time (19:34 UTC) on March 8. That's an important piece of information because it is a close match for the time — 2:29 pm EST (19:29 UTC) — that US Space Command recorded the reentry of a piece of space debris from the space station. At that time, the object was on a path over the Gulf of Mexico, heading toward southwest Florida.

This space junk consisted of depleted batteries from the ISS, attached to a cargo pallet that was originally supposed to come back to Earth in a controlled manner. But a series of delays meant this cargo pallet missed its ride back to Earth, so NASA jettisoned the batteries from the space station in 2021 to head for an unguided reentry.

Looks like one of those pieces missed Ft Myers and landed in my house in Naples. Tore through the roof and went through two floors. Almost hit my son.

posted 04-15-2024 09:51 PM               

NASA confirms debris that fell on Florida home came from space station pallet

A chunk of metal that tore through a Florida home last month has been confirmed by NASA to have fallen from the International Space Station.

The previously unknown space object, which looks to have been partially melted and mangled, has been identified by space agency scientists as the remnants of a stanchion used to mount nickel hydride batteries on a cargo pallet after they were replaced by more capable lithium-ion units. Flight controllers then used the space station's robotic arm to jettison the pallet in March 2021, with the intention that it and its contents would burn up when they plunged back into Earth's atmosphere.

posted 06-21-2024 09:21 AM               

An attorney for the Otero family, Mica Nguyen Worthy, told Ars that she has asked NASA for "in excess of $80,000" for non-insured property damage loss, business interruption damages, emotional and mental anguish damages, and the costs for assistance from third parties.

"We intentionally kept it very reasonable because we did not want it to appear to NASA that my clients are seeking a windfall," Worthy said.

The family has not filed a lawsuit against NASA, at least not yet. Worthy said she has been having productive conversations with NASA legal representatives. She said the Otero family wants to be made whole for their losses, but also to establish a precedent for future victims. "This is truly the first legal claim that is being submitted for recovery for damages related to space debris," Worthy said. "How NASA responds will, in my view, be foundational for how future claims are handled. This is really changing the legal landscape."