A Florida family is suing NASA after their adult son was just barely spared when a piece of metal from the International Space Station crashed through their roof.
The Naples-based Otero family is requesting $80,000 in damages "to account for the stress and impact" of the event that occurred on March 8.
According to legal firm Cranfill Sumner, it is the first lawsuit of its type and will "form the foundation" for similar claims in the future since space debris damage is now a "real and serious issue."
Daniel Otero was at home when it happened and almost got struck, according to the family's attorneys: "There could have been serious injury or a fatality if the debris had hit a few feet in another direction."
The debris was subsequently identified by investigators as a 1.6-pound fragment of a cargo pallet that had been abandoned from the Space Station in March 2021. It was supposed to burn up entirely on re-entry, but it had managed to survive.
After debris burst through their roof on March 8, the Otero family, from Naples, is requesting $80,000 in damages "to account for the stress and impact" of the catastrophe.
Alejandro Otero, the homeowner, was away on vacation when his son Daniel called to report hearing a "tremendous sound" and seeing large holes in the ceiling and floor.
Images of the wreckage show how the metal fragment entered the building via the roof and then crashed through an interior floor, halting in the basement.
According to the family's attorneys, it was a "near miss" that "could have been catastrophic."
"Something ripped throughout the house and then made a big hole on the floor as well as the ceiling," Otero claimed, speaking to local news at the time.
We believed it was inconceivable when we heard that, but then I instantly thought of a meteorite.
"What are the chances that something would land on my house so forcefully and damage it so much?"
They are now seeking $80,000 in damages for uninsured property damage loss, business disruption, mental distress, and the expenses incurred for necessary outside support throughout the procedure.
According to attorney Mica Nguyen Worthy, the lawsuit will establish a precedent for future space debris damage claims, which are expected to increase.
She said, "The increase in space traffic in recent years has made space debris a real and serious issue."
The "real life example" of the effects of space debris making it to Earth's surface makes this space debris claim historic, the speaker said.
Used equipment that is abandoned from satellites and missions is known as space trash.
More than 30,000 items are estimated to be in orbit right now, with the potential to return to Earth in a few years.
The Federal Aviation Authority issued a study in 2023 warning that, by 2035, surviving space debris might kill or harm someone every two years, even if the majority of it burns up upon re-entry.
Subsequently, investigators determined that the debris consisted of a 1.6-pound fragment of a cargo pallet that was discarded from the Space Station in March 2021.
In the orbit of Earth are more than 30,000 bits of space debris.
"It would send a strong signal to both other governments as well as private industries that such individuals should be compensated regardless of fault," Worthy said in response to the Oteros' legal victory.
NASA gathered and examined the debris after the crash.
It was found to be from a'stanchion' that was mounted on a pallet at the Space Station as part of the flight support equipment.
NASA had sent the pallet into orbit in 2021 with the expectation that it would remain there for two to four years before carefully reentering the Earth's atmosphere.
However, the haphazard re-entry led to an unexpected and off-course landing.
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