"Won the Space Lotto" Joy Was Brief... Turns Out It Was NASA Debris

Recent Metal Object Falls on Florida Home, Causing Damage
Photo Released, Astrophysicist Calls It "Space Debris"
NASA Confirms "It Fell from the Space Station"

Recently, an unidentified metal object fell onto a residential house in Florida, USA, which was later revealed to be 'space debris' from the International Space Station (ISS).

According to AFP on the 15th (local time), NASA stated that the object is "presumed to be a support bracket used to mount batteries on the ISS cargo pallet that passed through Earth's atmosphere and fell." The object was made of Inconel alloy, weighing 1.6 pounds (about 725g), with a height of 4 inches (about 10 cm) and a diameter of 1.6 inches (about 4 cm). If this object had been a meteorite fallen from space, it would be worth several million won. Meteorites are generally valued at $5 to $6 per gram. For 725g, the minimum value would be $3,600.

Fragments fallen on Otero's house (left) Damaged appearance of Otero's house. [Image source=NASA, Otero X]

On the 8th of last month, a cylindrical metal object suddenly fell onto the home of Alejandro Otero in Florida, piercing through the ceiling and the second-floor floor. Otero, who was on vacation at the time, heard from his son about the loud noise and the holes in the ceiling and floor of the house. Fortunately, there were no casualties. Otero said, "How likely is it that something would fall with enough force to cause such significant damage to the house?" but added, "I'm just grateful that no one was hurt."

At the time, Otero gained attention by posting photos of the damaged house and the metal object on X (formerly Twitter). Astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell, seeing the photos, speculated that "this object is likely part of the EP-9 battery pallet that NASA dropped in March 2021." NASA later retrieved the fragment to verify its exact origin and officially confirmed that it was indeed a part from the ISS.

NASA stated, "We will investigate why the debris did not burn up completely and conduct a detailed investigation if necessary," adding, "NASA is committed to mitigating many risks to protect people on Earth when space debris is jettisoned." They also promised compensation to the Otero family, who were affected by the incident.

[Image source=Brad Tucker X capture]

There have been other incidents where space debris struck Earth. In July 2022, Mick Mynors, a sheep farm owner in Australia, discovered a metal fragment about 3 meters high embedded in the ground on his remote farm. Neighbors also found unknown metal fragments on their farms, one of which reportedly had a serial number engraved. Australian National University astrophysicist Dr. Brad Tucker stated, "It is highly likely that this debris came from the separation process of the Dragon capsule."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warned in a report last year that space debris could cause casualties once every two years by 2035.