A steady stanchion ( left ) and the one recovered from the NASA flight support equipment used to mount International Space Station batteries on a cargo pallet . The recovered stanchion survived reentry through Earth ’s atmosphere on March 8 , 2024 , and impacted a home in Florida . NASA
When Alejandro Otero ’s boy called him on March 8 to say that something had crashed through the roof of their home , he initially suppose it might have been a meteorite .
But when he got home and inspect the object , he immediately realized that it was man - made .
A regular stanchion (left) and the one recovered from the NASA flight support equipment used to mount International Space Station batteries on a cargo pallet. The recovered stanchion survived reentry through Earth’s atmosphere on March 8, 2024, and impacted a home in Florida.NASA
Speculation speedily grew that it may have come fromthe International Space Station(ISS ) , and on Monday NASA confirmed this to be true .
The objective that tore through the roof of Otero ’s theater was part of a 5,800 - pound palette of quad junk containing aging nickel hydride electric battery that was turn from the orbital outpost in March 2021 .
“ The hardware was expect to fully burn up during unveiling through Earth ’s atmosphere,”NASA say in a messageposted on its website this hebdomad . “ However , a musical composition of hardware make it reentry and impacted a abode in Naples , Florida . ” NASA read it collected the item in cooperation with the homeowner and analyzed it at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida .
The agency concluded that the object was a two - lb composition of stanchion from NASA equipment used to mount the batteries on the shipment pallet . Though it melted more or less , a good lump of the stanchion survived the high - velocity extraction before terminate its journeying in Naples .
The object is made of the metal alloy Inconel , weighs 1.6 pounding , is 4 inches in height and 1.6 inches in diam , NASA aver . A detailed investigation of the jettison and reentry cognitive operation will be carried out to find out how the junk came to survive the burn - up stage as it fall to Earth .
NASA insisted it “ remain attached to responsibly operating in low - Earth orbit , and mitigating as much risk as possible to protect citizenry on Earth when place ironware must be issue . ”
Commenting on the incident soon after it happened , Otero order : “ I was shaking . I was totally in disbelief . What are the chance of something down on my business firm with such force to have so much equipment casualty , ” adding that he was “ extremely grateful that nobody got hurt . ”
