A Florida family is suing NASA after a piece of space debris crashed through their home
NPR Online NewsJUN 2024
Florida Family Sues NASA After Space Debris Strikes Home
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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.