A piece of space debris narrowly missed a young man when it crashed through the roof of a Florida home.
This space debris was part of a cargo pallet, that included aging nickel hydride batteries. It was released into space in 2021, following a battery upgrade on the International Space Station (ISS).
Typically, objects like these are expected to burn up upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, where temperatures can reach up to 1,650 degrees Celsius (3,000 degrees Fahrenheit).
However, this 1.6-pound piece of debris made it through and landed in the Otero family home in Naples, Florida on March 8th, 2024.
The re-entry of this space debris was first noted by astronomer Jonathan McDowell, who tweeted about the equipment pallet re-entering the atmosphere over the Gulf of Mexico, between Cancun and Cuba.
Crew Dragon Resilience watched as @NASA ground controllers released a pallet that will eventually burn up in the atmosphere. pic.twitter.com/pgQCx1ocSJ
— Mike Hopkins (@Astro_illini) March 11, 2021
At the time of the incident, homeowner Alejandro Otero was away on vacation. His 19-year-old son, who was home alone, experienced the impact first-hand.
Startled by a loud crash that shook the entire house, he initially thought it might have been an earthquake.
Uncertain of what had happened, he quickly called his father to report the alarming situation. Upon investigating the source of the noise, the teen discovered a large hole in both the ceiling and the floor, confirming that something had crashed through the roof.
Initially, they suspected a meteorite because of the nature of the damage and the appearance of the object.
Alejandro hurried home and called the sheriff’s department to assess the situation. A deputy arrived and quickly determined that the object was not a meteorite but a man-made piece of equipment.
Alejandro posted images and videos of the debris online to identify the object. This collective effort led to the realization that the debris was likely from a large battery pallet that NASA had released three years earlier.
NASA later retrieved the object from the Otero’s home and confirmed that it was indeed part of the battery pallet.
During the impact, Alejandro’s son was just couple of rooms away from where it hit.
Alejandro expressed his relief and gratitude that the situation had not been worse:
“We can’t help but think about what could have happened if it came through just a little to the right or to the left, how much more disastrous the situation could have been,” he said.
“We feel very lucky and blessed that everyone was OK,” Alejandro said.
This incident also raised immediate safety concerns about whether the object might be dangerous or toxic.
After NASA got involved, they provided reassurances that the item was not toxic or hazardous.
The damage caused by the debris was substantial, prompting Alejandro to engage with his homeowners’ insurance, which estimated the repair costs at more than $15,000.
Alejandro noted that they were in the process of sending NASA a claim that would include both the insurance and non-insurance damages.
We are reminded through the Otero family’s experience that God’s protection surrounds us even in the most unexpected events. Let us always look to Him as our safeguard against all dangers, seen and unseen.
“The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” — Proverbs 18:10
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