Florida Man’s Home Struck by Space Object from International Space Station, NASA Confirms
NASA confirmed on Monday that a piece of hardware from the International Space Station crashed into a home in Naples, Florida, last month. Alejandro Otero, the homeowner, shared photos of the object that tore through his roof and narrowly missed hitting his son.
Otero had been in contact with an astronomer who was tracking the equipment’s re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. He noticed that one of the pieces seemed to have missed its intended target and ended up landing inside his home.
“It didn’t look like anything I had ever seen before,” Otero told Fox News. “It looked like it had been burned up and scraped, and it was a heavy piece for its size.”
NASA launched an investigation into the incident and identified the object as a stanchion from the NASA flight support equipment used to mount batteries on a cargo pallet. The metal alloy Inconel object, about 4 inches long and 1.6 inches in diameter, survived re-entry and weighed 1.6 pounds.
The space agency plans to conduct further research to understand how the object managed to survive the intense heat of re-entry. This investigation will involve studying engineering models to estimate how objects break apart during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.
NASA emphasized its commitment to safely operating in low Earth orbit and minimizing risks to people on Earth when space hardware needs to be released. The agency did not immediately respond to inquiries from Fox News Digital.
The unusual incident has sparked curiosity and raised questions about space debris and the safety measures in place to protect Earth from such occurrences. Stay tuned for updates on this developing story.
Greg Wehner, a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital, contributed to this report. For story tips, contact Greg.Wehner@Fox.com or follow him on Twitter @GregWehner.
