A Florida family is suing NASA after a piece of space debris crashed through their home
NPR Online NewsJun 25
Florida Family Sues NASA After Space Debris Strikes Home
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The Facts
A Florida family is suing NASA after tests confirmed that a piece of debris from the International Space Station (ISS) reportedly struck their home in Naples this March.
Alejandro Otero and his family are seeking $80K in damages after a 1.6-pound cylinder from a cargo pallet released by ISS in 2021 nearly struck Otero's son.
The Spin
Narrative A
Original laws and treaties governing outer space were only fit for the early days of space exploration. Clearly, that legal regime needs a change. Scientists estimate that the risk of fatalities from space debris is very real, and governments need to be proactive about this. A system for damages from space debris, domestically and internationally, needs to be established with due haste.
Narrative B
Lawyers have no chance of solving a sustainability and engineering issue, and innovation could ultimately be the key to a safer and cleaner near-Earth environment. There are simply too many actors in space to allow everyone to eject their garbage back toward Earth. The next frontier in aeronautics is reusable and durable space equipment. We cannot litigate the space junk issue.
