{"id":4682,"date":"2024-06-25T15:07:53","date_gmt":"2024-06-25T15:07:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/25\/family-sues-nasa-after-florida-home-is-hit-by-debris-from-space-station\/"},"modified":"2024-06-25T15:07:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-25T15:07:53","slug":"family-sues-nasa-after-florida-home-is-hit-by-debris-from-space-station","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailywashingtoninsider.com\/index.php\/2024\/06\/25\/family-sues-nasa-after-florida-home-is-hit-by-debris-from-space-station\/","title":{"rendered":"Family sues NASA after Florida home is hit by debris from space station"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A family from Florida is suing NASA after their home was damaged by debris which fell to Earth from the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

Law firm Cranfill Sumner, acting for the family, said the case against the agency<\/strong> is the first of its kind – and will “form the foundation” for similar claims in the future as space debris had become a “real and serious issue”.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The object smashed into the home of Alejandro Otero in March<\/strong>, creating a hole in the roof and flooring.<\/p>\n

Mr Otero’s son, Daniel, was at home at the time but was not injured.<\/p>\n

The family wants $80,000 (\u00a363,000) in compensation “to account for the stress and impact that this event had on their lives”, said the lawyers.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Cranfill Sumner said their clients were “grateful that no one sustained physical injuries” but added the “near-miss situation” could have been “catastrophic”.<\/p>\n

“If the debris had hit a few feet in another direction, there could have been serious injury or a fatality,” the firm said.<\/p>\n

NASA said the debris fell to earth after ground controllers used a robotic arm on the space station to release a cargo pallet containing “aging batteries” in March 2021.<\/p>\n

“The hardware was expected to fully burn up during entry through Earth’s atmosphere on 8 March 2024,” it said.<\/p>\n

“However, a piece of hardware survived re-entry and impacted a home in Naples, Florida.”<\/p>\n

NASA said the object was from a “stanchion” used in the flight support equipment to mount the batteries on the pallet.<\/p>\n

It weighed around 1.6lbs (725g) and measured 4ins by 1.6ins.<\/p>\n

The Otero family’s lawyer, Mica Nguyen Worthy, said: “Space debris is a real and serious issue because of the increase in space traffic in recent years.<\/p>\n

“If NASA were to take the position that the Oteros’ claims should be paid in full, it would send a strong signal to both other governments and private industries that such victims should be compensated regardless of fault.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

This post appeared first on sky.com<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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