A bang as deafening as it was sudden. Then the discovery: a small metal object of about 700 gramsfallen from who knows where, had broken through the roof ending its incandescent run on the floor. It was last March 8th when a Naples, on the west coast of Florida. The 19-year-old son of a resident named Alejandro Otero was nearly injured in the incident. So time to analyze the debris in question – fortunately much smaller in size than that of the film Donnie Darko –, and the investigators’ first hypothesis turned out to be correct: it was a waste from the International Space Station. More specifically, of what remained of a device used on March 11, 2021 to set up a giant pallet full of old nickel-hydrogen batteries to be disposed of. Result: last week, three and a half months after the incident, Otero’s lawyer – Mica Nguyen Worthy – announced in a note that he had requested from NASA «adequate compensation for the stress and impact that the event had” on the lives of his client and his family.
Asked for almost 80 thousand dollars
“I was shaking. I was in complete disbelief. What were the chances of something landing on my house with enough force to cause this much damage? I’m very grateful that no one got hurt», the man had stated Wink-TVlocal broadcaster affiliated with the Cbs. A shock that is hard to forget: hence his recourse to a law firm. In this respect – we learn from the note – «the damages requested for the Otero family include uninsured property damage, damages for interruption of business activity, damages for emotional and mental anguish and costs of third-party assistance necessary for the process». The amount consequently requested: more than 80 thousand dollars (equal to almost 75 thousand euros, at the current exchange rate). But how could such an inconvenience occur? «The total mass of the material released was approximately 5,800 pounds (2,630 kilos, ndr) e it should have burned up completely upon entry into the Earth’s atmosphere – explained NASA in an official statement –. However, one piece survived re-entry and hit a house.” Yes: precisely that of Mr. Otero.
Response within six months
«The space debris is a real and serious problem due to the increase in space traffic in recent years – analyzed lawyer Worthy –. If the object had hit a few meters further away, there could have been deaths or serious injuries.” NASA itself is also fully aware of this, having in fact made it known that «the International Space Station will carry out adetailed investigation of the launch and re-entry into orbit of the debris to determine the cause of its survival”. No public comment on the ongoing legal action. Under US regulations, the space agency has six months time to decide whether or not to accept the request for compensation. This being the first of its kind ever advanced, regardless of its outcome it will certainly set a precedent. This is no small thing, if you consider that almost a million pieces of abandoned debris have arrived to orbit around our planet (some of which on Thursday even jeopardized the safety of the ISS astronauts). Clearly, a literally astronomical number.
