Florida homeowners received a startling surprise last month when a piece of hardware from the International Space Station crashed into their home. In March 2021, NASA ground controllers used the station’s robotic arm to release a cargo pallet containing aging nickel hydride batteries weighing 5,800 pounds. The hardware was expected to burn up upon reentering Earth’s atmosphere. However, a small piece unexpectedly crashed into the Florida home.
The homeowner, Alejandro Otero, recounted the incident to WINK News, describing a “tremendous sound” as something ripped through the house, narrowly missing his son who was in a nearby room. The debris made a big hole in the floor and ceiling. Fortunately, Otero’s family escaped unharmed.
NASA determined the debris to be a stanchion from flight support equipment used to mount the batteries on the cargo pallet. Weighing 1.6 pounds and measuring 4 inches in height and 1.6 inches in diameter, the object was collected and analyzed at the Kennedy Space Center.
Following the incident, NASA announced that it would investigate the cause of the debris survival. The agency reaffirmed its commitment to responsible operations in low Earth orbit, striving to mitigate risks to protect people when space hardware is released.