NASA collects 'space debris' that crashed into Florida man's home
Christian Fernsby ▼ | April 4, 2024
NASA said Tuesday it was analyzing an object that crashed from the sky into a Florida man's home which could well be a piece of debris jettisoned from the International Space Station.Article continues below
Alejandro Otero of Naples, Florida, posted on X that the item "tore through the roof and went 2 floors" of his house, almost striking his son, on the afternoon of March 8.
He believes it was a piece of a cargo pallet containing old batteries that NASA ground control teams released from the orbital outpost in 2021.
It was supposed to burn up harmlessly over the Earth's atmosphere on March 8, according to official projections. Otero also posted a clip from his home Nest video camera where he said the sound of it crashing through his roof could be heard at 2:34 pm.
"So that's 1934 UTC, which is very consistent with the Space Force estimate of reentry over the Gulf at 1929 UTC," wrote noted astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, in response. "I think you may be right and it's a bit from the reentry of the EP-9 battery pallet."
The news was first reported by local news outlet winknews.com on March 15.
"NASA collected an item in cooperation with the homeowner, and will analyze the object at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as soon as possible to determine its origin," the space agency said in a statement to AFP on Tuesday.
"More information will be available once the analysis is complete."
A report by specialist news outlet Ars Technica said while the batteries were owned by NASA, they were attached to a pallet structure launched by Japan's space agency—potentially complicating liability claims.
Past examples of manmade human space debris hitting Earth include part of a SpaceX Dragon capsule landing on an Australian sheep farm in 2022. Skylab, the United States' first space station, fell on Western Australia.
More recently, China has been criticized by NASA for allowing its giant Long March rockets to fall back to Earth after orbit. ■ What to read next
Upper-level ridging weakens from the Ohio Valley to the Southeast on Friday, resulting in a reduced area of Heat Advisories over the east.
Latest Baker Hughes: U.S. oil rig count down by 6 to 432
Malaysia introduces new rules prohibiting all plastic waste imports from U.S.
Kazakh-German JV Skyhansa to build $500 mln airport near Chinese border
Ukrainian poultry products gained access to Oman market
U.S.: Severe thunderstorms in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest
Former U.S. senator Bob Menendez begins serving 11-year bribery sentence
Russian-linked tanker crew accused in Finland-Estonia undersea cable sabotage probe
Croatia: Former minister sentenced to two years of imprisonment for abuse of office and authority
U.S.: Widespread showers across the eastern half, severe thunderstorms in Montana into the Plains
Vietnam encourages private businesses to invest in railway sector
Baker Hughes: U.S. oil rig count down by 1 to 438
AfDB to provide $184.1 million for Africa’s largest solar energy and battery storage project
EIB supports Bay of Biscay electricity interconnection between Spain and France
U.S., UK, and Congolese officials inaugurate Kiswishi City Special Economic Zone
Trending Now
Cuban President begins official visit to Belarus
EU adopts new tariffs on Russian and Belarusian agricultural goods and fertilisers
EU proposes banning LNG gas imports from Russia by end of 2027
New York Governor announces Sullivan County broadband project
Zimbabwe to ban lithium concentrate exports
Today We Recommend Highlights
750 new jobs coming to Michigan
LS Cable and unit join Korea-Japan submarine cable project
WFS to open new multi-purpose terminal at Lyon Airport
CEVA Logistics renews contract to transport aeronautics parts between France, Morocco, Tunisia
Malian government takes over Canadian-owned Barrick Gold mine
Isomorphic Labs appoints Ben Wolf as chief medical officer
Vodacom names new international markets CEO
David Andreadakis joins Loyalty Juggernaut as chief commercial officer
Tom Montali joins CSL as business development director
Concirrus appoints Steve O'Reilly as product manager
Russia's trade surplus falls 18.3% to $42.4 bln in January-April
U.S. economy in Q1 revised up to 0.2-pct contraction
Japan loses top creditor position for first time in 34 years
NZ exports to EU jump 28% in first year of trade deal
EU generated €39.2 billion surplus in trade in agricultural products
Lockton revenue $3.55 billion
Motorcar Parts of America Q4 sales $189.5 million
Limoneira Q2 revenue $44.6 million
Lululemon athletica Q1 revenue increased 10% to $2.2 billion
PVH Q1 GAAP EBIT $205 million
Niger set to monetize massive gas reserves through Saharan natural gas pipeline
Putting the brakes on EV folly that choked the market
Oil discovery in Kavango Basin may mean huge benefits for Namibians
Cape Town and Dubai battle over Africa's energy future
Is America going to lose its superpower status?
FLI tests mobile One Health laboratory for diagnosing highly pathogenic pathogens
First vaccine against swine dysentery disease recommended for approval
USDA expands fruit pest quarantines in New York and California
Peru records 23.6% growth in agricultural export sales compared to 2024
China allows imports of rapeseed meal, soybean meal from Uruguay
Employers prefer younger job candidates for AI roles although experienced workers perform same or better
Study finds workers misjudge wage markets
Some organizations may need to expand their hierarchical structures earlier than others
Study finds there's right way and wrong way to deliver negative feedback in workplace
Allyship is critical and its needs appreciation
EU fines carmakers €458 million for anti-recycling cartel
Commission fines Pierre Cardin and its licensee Ahlers €5.7 million for restricting cross-border sales of clothing
BHP, Vale agree to pay $30B damages for Brazil dam disaster
Commission fines České dráhy and Österreichische Bundesbahnen €48.7 million over collusion to exclude common compe
SEC charges Keurig with making inaccurate statements regarding recyclability of K-Cup beverage pod
Magazine
Morocco’s first Radisson branded hotel opens in Casablanca
Buna channels, an unreal and beautiful part of Bosnia and Herzegovina
JW Marriott unveils Mindful Haven with opening of JW Marriott Hotel Nairobi
Sotheby's Sports Week returns with fantastic artifacts
Red Roof properties open in Michigan
2025 Chevrolet Equinox stands apart with fresh looks and capability
Hill Helicopters HX50, luxury in the sky
Opel Movano becomes fully equipped camper van
Porsche Panamera, new hybrid variants
Dodge Charger, 670 horsepower of electric
Embellish your home with PVC panels
You'll have to hurry if you want one of 20 new Louis Vuitton watches
Luxury duvet looks good, fells good and keeps you healthy
Vacheron Constantin, watches for life and more
Schüller kitchens, where functionality marries design
reMarkable 2, monochrome tablet for your thoughts and your eyes
OnePlus Ace 3V, first with Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3
ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, flagship with a reason
Samsung Galaxy S24 is photography powerhouse
Casette tapes are making a big comeback, and so are portable players
Hong Kong researchers develop needle-free flu vaccine with broad protection
World's first vaccines that don't need refrigeration entered trials
First patient enrolled in Phase 1 clinical trial of Akiram’s cancer drug candidate
FDA grants marketing authorization of first home test for chlamydia, gonorrhea and trichomoniasis
Human cases of anthrax reported in western Mongolia
Mission to "weigh" all of Earth's forests from space launched
NASA's SPHEREx space telescope begins mapping entire sky
Russian academics, gas industry experts see undersea LNG transportation as feasible
India launches space docking experiment mission
World-first carbon-14 diamond battery made