NAPLES, Fla. (AP) — NASA has officially confirmed that the mysterious object that crashed through the roof of a home in Naples, Florida, last month was a piece of space debris from equipment discarded at the International Space Station.
The cylindrical object, which caused significant damage to the home on March 8, was transported to the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral for further analysis. NASA identified the object as a metal support structure that was previously used to mount old batteries on a cargo pallet for disposal.
The cargo pallet, which was jettisoned from the space station in 2021, was expected to disintegrate upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. However, a portion of the metal support structure managed to survive the journey and crash into the Florida home.
According to NASA, the chunk of metal weighed 1.6 pounds (0.7 kilograms) and measured 4 inches (10 centimeters) in height and approximately 1 1/2 inches (4 centimeters) in width.
The homeowner, who was away on vacation at the time of the incident, expressed shock and disbelief upon learning about the damage caused to his property. Upon returning home early, he discovered the object had pierced through the ceiling and damaged the flooring.
Reflecting on the incident, the homeowner stated, 'I was shaking. I was completely in disbelief. What are the chances of something landing on my house with such force to cause so much damage? I'm super grateful that nobody got hurt.'
