NASA has solved the mysterious incident which took place in Naples, Florida (last month) when a cylindrical object crashed through a homeowner's roof- leaving behind the residents startled but thankfully no one got hurt.
It was on Monday when NASA confirmed that the object was a piece of space debris which was originally originated from the International Space Station (ISS). This particular object was further identified as a metal support which has been used to secure old batteries on a disposal pallet that was jettisoned from the station in 2021.
Weighing around 1.6 pounds and measuring approximately 4 inches tall, the space debris reportedly caused notable damage to the roof and floor of the affected home. The owner of the home - Alejandro Otero who was away on vacation at the time when the incident took place expressed his astonishment upon learning the origin of the object but was thankful enough that no one got injured.
In an interview with WINK News, Alejandro Otero said, "It was a tremendous sound. It almost hit my son. He was two rooms over and heard it all.”
He further described that the moment he received the alarming call from his son, Alejandro shared, "Something ripped through the house and then made a big hole on the floor and the ceiling. When we heard that, we were like, impossible, and then immediately I thought of a meteorite."
About the incidence
When he rushed home, the Otero family saw the sight of a cylindrical object, weighing close to two pounds, that had pierced through their residence. Alejandro, contemplating its extraterrestrial origin, remarked, "It used to have a cylindrical shape, and you can tell by the shape of the top that it travelled in this direction through the atmosphere. Whatever you burned, created in this burn, and melted the metal over in this direction."
Despite the awe-inspiring nature of the event, it instilled fear in the Otero family. "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?" reflected Alejandro. "I'm super grateful that nobody got hurt."
NASA has confirmed the space debris which fell on the roof of the family, which not only solved the mystery surrounding the incident but also highlighted the potential risks which were posed by space debris to terrestrial structures.
ALSO READ: WhatsApp testing new feature to let users know which contacts were recently online
