Homeowner demands NASA compensation after space debris falls through house

Piece of space junk falls on Florida home in March

On March 8, a 700-gram object crashed into the house of Mr. Alejandro Otero in Naples (Florida).

NASA later confirmed that the piece of trash was part of a cargo container containing used batteries that was released directly from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2021.

Instead of burning up completely before hitting the ground, a small piece remained intact as it passed through the Earth's atmosphere, according to NASA.

Mr Otero's son was home when the space junk tore through the roof and through two floors of the house.

The Cranfill Sumner law firm, which represents the family in the lawsuit, said NASA has six months to resolve the case. The firm also said the settlement could set a precedent for similar compensation cases in the future.

NASA has not commented on the lawsuit. However, the US agency has previously pledged to investigate how the debris appeared when the container was supposed to be destroyed in the atmosphere. NASA also said it would update the related mechanical engineering model to avoid a similar situation.

In the past, space debris originating from human activities in Earth's orbit has fallen to the ground many times, such as when SpaceX's Dragon capsule crashed into an Australian farm in 2022.

Skylab, America's first space station, also crashed in Western Australia.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bi-rac-vu-tru-roi-thung-nha-kho-chu-doi-nasa-boi-thuong-185240622071121463.htm