WHOOPS

Space Junk Crashed Into Florida Home, NASA Says

“The hardware was expected to fully burn up during entry through Earth’s atmosphere on March 8, 2024.”

A chunk of metal that plunged through the roof of a Florida home last month came from the International Space Station, NASA has confirmed. The cylindrical object was determined to be a metal support that was used to mount old batteries on a cargo pallet. The pallet was loaded with 5,800 pounds of aging batteries and jettisoned from the space station back in March 2021. “The hardware was expected to fully burn up during entry through Earth’s atmosphere on March 8, 2024. However, a piece of hardware survived re-entry and impacted a home in Naples, Florida,” NASA said. Alejandro Otero, the homeowner, said the object tore through his ceiling and damaged the floor. “I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage,” Otero told local media at the time, adding that he was “super grateful that nobody got hurt.”